AAIB and U.S. NTSB collaborate in Air India Flight 171 crash investigation. NTSB collaborates with Indian authorities to investigate Air India Flight 171 crash. The incident on June 12 claimed 260 lives, prompting an intensive international probe into possible technical and operational failures.
The chief of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has cautioned against drawing early conclusions about the cause of the Air India Flight 171 crash. This comes amid reports suggesting the captain may have inadvertently moved switches regulating fuel flow to the engines.
The NTSB emphasized that the investigation is still ongoing and that any assumptions at this stage remain premature and speculative.
NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy emphasized that investigations of such scale require time and careful analysis. In a post on social media platform X, she described recent media reports on the Air India crash as “premature and speculative.”
While she did not specify which reports she was addressing, her statement underscores the importance of allowing the investigative process to run its full course before drawing conclusions.
Investigators from AAIB and NTSB jointly probe Air India Flight 171 crash.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), are diligently working to uncover the cause of the Air India Flight 171 crash, which occurred on June 12 and claimed 260 lives.
Both the AAIB and Air India CEO Campbell Wilson have appealed to the public and media to avoid speculation, stressing that conclusions should only be made once the investigation is complete and all evidence thoroughly analyzed.
Final investigation reports into major air accidents can take a year or more to complete, as they require extensive analysis and coordination between agencies. Authorities emphasize the need for accuracy and thoroughness before releasing findings and safety recommendations.
The AAIB’s preliminary report indicates the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 were mistakenly set to “cutoff” just after takeoff. This action cut off engine fuel supply, leading to a critical loss of power.
Although the switches were turned back on within about 10 seconds, the loss of power proved critical, and the aircraft was unable to recover, leading to the fatal crash.
A cockpit voice recording from the doomed flight captured a critical exchange between the pilots, in which First Officer Clive Kunder questioned Captain Sumeet Sabharwal about the unexpected movement of the fuel control switches.
Sabharwal, reportedly surprised, denied having made the switch.
The recording has become a key piece of evidence as investigators work to understand whether human error or a possible technical malfunction played a role in the tragedy.
Determining how and why the fuel control switches were turned off remains central to the ongoing investigation. Authorities are examining whether the shutdown was due to human action—either accidental or intentional—or if it stemmed from a malfunction in the aircraft’s systems.
This line of inquiry is crucial to establishing accountability and preventing similar incidents in the future. In response to the AAIB’s preliminary findings, India’s civil aviation regulator ordered immediate inspections of fuel control switches on all Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft operating in the country.
The move aims to determine whether a potential equipment failure may have contributed to the crash. However, investigators have so far found no evidence of mechanical or design flaws in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or its GE Aerospace-manufactured engines, keeping the focus on operational factors as the probe continues.