A preliminary report on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people, cites inadvertently shifting the engine fuel switches from "run" to "cutoff" as a critical factor. This caused an immediate loss of thrust in both engines shortly after takeoff, highlighting a significant operational lapse during a critical phase of flight.The report further indicates that the pilots, Captain S. K. Datar and First Officer J. C. Joshi, failed to diagnose the issue and take corrective action swiftly enough to prevent the disaster. Contributing to the severity of the outcome was the aircraft's low altitude and airspeed at the time of the engine failures, leaving little margin for recovery. Investigators are now examining the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to ascertain the precise sequence of events and the crew's responses in the moments leading up to the crash. The inquiry will also focus on the training and procedures in place at Air India to determine whether adequate safeguards were in place to prevent such errors. Initial findings suggest a need for enhanced crew resource management training and improved cockpit instrumentation to provide clearer warnings of engine status.
The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he "did the cut-off", to which the person replies that he didn't. The recording doesn't clarify who said what. At the time of takeoff, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.
The switches were returned to their normal inflight position, triggering automatic engine relight. At the time of the crash, one engine was regaining thrust while the other had relit but had not yet recovered power.
Air India Flight 171 was airborne for less than 40 seconds before crashing into a crowded neighbourhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, marking one of India's most baffling aviation disasters.
At 8:08 a.m., “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off," the report reads.
Black box audio from the cockpit recorded “one of the pilots … asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
“At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted 'MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY,' " per the report.
Two seconds later, the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) inlet door began to open during takeoff, which could disrupt airflow, according to several experts. The APU provides electrical and pneumatic power while the aircraft is on the ground, and occasionally in the air.
After two seconds, the Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitioned from "CUTOFF" to "RUN."
Furthermore, pilot confusion appears to be a central issue leading up to the accident. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot's distress call of "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY," followed by a bewildered inquiry regarding why fuel was cut off . Such communication suggests a breakdown in situational awareness and decision-making under pressure. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is actively pursuing further examination but has not recommended immediate action for operators of similar aircraft models .
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