Air India Crash: Pilot Confusion and Potential Chip Malfunction

Preliminary Report Findings

• ✈️ A preliminary report on the Air India crash suggests cockpit confusion preceded the event.
• ⚠️ The plane's engine fuel cutoff switches reportedly flipped almost simultaneously, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of thrust shortly after takeoff.
• ❓ Indian accident investigators' report did not specify how the switches ended up in the cutoff position during flight.

Expert Analysis on the Cause

• 💡 Former pilot Marco Chan suggests a chip malfunction, rather than human error, was the likely cause.
• 🛠️ He references a service bulletin from the engine manufacturer advising maintenance on a flawed chip to prevent signal loss, which could lead to intermittent signal loss and engines not being commanded to fuel.
• 📉 Chan believes it would be highly unlikely for pilots to accidentally move the switches to the cutoff position, as it requires a deliberate action.

Crash Details and Impact

• 📍 At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position, with indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash.
• 🌍 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was en route to London from Ahmedabad, India.
• 🕯️ The crash resulted in the deaths of 260 people, marking it as the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade.