Air India Flight AI171 Crash: Cockpit Confusion Over Fuel Switch Investigation

Preliminary Findings of Air India Flight AI171 Crash

• ✈️ Investigators have discovered that the fuel control switches on Air India Flight AI171 abruptly moved to the 'cut off' position shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
• 🎙️ Cockpit voice recordings captured a pilot asking, "Why did you cut off?" to which the other replied, "I did not do so," indicating potential confusion or an inadvertent action.
• 🧑‍✈️ At the time of takeoff, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring. Both pilots passed pre-flight tests and had adequate rest.

Critical Cockpit Communication and Switch Functionality

• ❓ The available cockpit audio is insufficient, lacking clear voice identification and a full transcript, to determine who manipulated the fuel switches.
• 🔒 Fuel switches are designed with safety features, including a pull-up unlock mechanism and protective guards, to prevent accidental activation.
• ⏱️ Just three seconds after lift-off, the engine fuel switches transitioned from 'run' to 'cut off' within a one-second gap, suggesting a rapid and critical event.
• ⚙️ Pilots attempted to restart the engines by transitioning switches back to 'run', but while Engine 1 responded briefly, Engine 2 did not recover, leading to a loss of thrust.

Potential Technical Issues and Safety Bulletins

• ⚠️ A 2018 US FAA bulletin highlighted that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged, a similar design used in the Boeing 787-8 aircraft that crashed.
• 📄 Air India reportedly did not carry out the recommended inspection for this issue, considering it advisory rather than mandatory.
• ⚡ The Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency power source, deployed automatically after takeoff, indicating a loss of power or hydraulic pressure.

The Crash and Its Aftermath

• 💥 The aircraft lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a medical college hostel near the airport, resulting in an explosion upon impact.
• 💔 The crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground, making it one of aviation's most tragic disasters.
• 🔍 A full transcript of the cockpit voice recorder and a thorough review of all communications are needed to understand the sequence of events leading to the crash.