Air India Crash: Former Pilot Terry Tozer on Engine Shutoff Findings

Preliminary Air India Crash Report Findings

• ✈️ A preliminary report into the Air India crash suggests that switches controlling fuel flow to the engines were turned off, seemingly by one of the pilots.
• 🎙️ Cockpit recordings indicate the other pilot questioned this action just before the crash, which resulted in the loss of all passengers and crew, as well as people on the ground.
• 📖 Terry Tozer, a former pilot and author, expressed shock at the findings, noting he has never encountered a situation quite like this in his experience with aircraft crashes.

Engine Fuel Control Switches Explained

• ⚙️ The engine fuel control switches are described as latched switches that must be lifted before being activated to cut off fuel supply.
• ⚠️ The report mentions that on some Boeing aircraft, the latch mechanism was deactivated as an advisory fix, but it's unclear if this was the case for the crashed aircraft.
• 👤 These switches are manually operated and require human intervention to activate.

Human Factors and Pilot Error

• 🧠 Tozer avoids the term 'pilot error,' preferring 'human factors,' which involves extensive training and research in aviation.
• 🤔 The action of shutting off fuel is considered very odd to do unintentionally, as the latching mechanism is designed to prevent accidental activation.
• ❓ Unanswered questions remain, including the interaction between the two pilots and the mystery surrounding the fuel cutoff.

Engine Restart Procedure and Timing

• ⚡ A notable detail is that the switches were switched back to their correct position instantly, which is the correct action according to a sequence for non-normal actions on the 787, designed to initiate an engine restart.
• 🚀 Both engines began to spool up or relight, but the aircraft ran out of time before they could deliver sufficient thrust.
• ❌ This action, cycling the switches, would typically be part of a ground start sequence or an in-flight engine failure drill, not during the immediate takeoff phase when the aircraft was only feet off the ground.

Airline Pilots Association Concerns

• 🚨 The Airline Pilots Association of India has expressed concern over the investigation's handling, citing secrecy and the alleged lack of suitably qualified personnel involved.
• ⚖️ They feel the investigation is presuming pilot guilt and strongly object to this approach, awaiting the full report for more clarity.