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When the investigators continued to unite the full picture, the initial findings of the Indian water accident pointed at the critical area of the concern – the aircraft fuel control switch.
The flight, to London Gatwick, fell only a few moments after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killed everything except one in 242 people on the plane and at least 19 on the ground.
According to Preliminary report By the Indian aircraft (AAIB) accident investigation bureau, two engine fuel control switches on the aircraft were moved from the “run” to “cutoff” position.
This switch controls the flow of fuel to the engine and can only be used when the aircraft is on land, first to start the engine before the flight and then to turn it off at the gate.
They are designed so that it cannot be changed accidentally, indicating the possibility of human mistakes on Indian water flights.
Findings include the last conversation between the pilot and showing that there was confusion in the cockpit too.
When a pilot asks another why he cuts fuel, he responds to say he doesn’t do it.
A few moments later, Mayday’s nickname was done from the cockpit, but the plane could not get back power quickly and plummeted to the ground.
Captain Amit Singh, founder of the Safety Matters Foundation, an organization dedicated to flight safety, told Sky News: “This exchange shows that the engine shutdown is not governed.
“However, the report did not identify the causes – whether it was a crew error, mechanical damage, or electronic failure.”
Previous warnings about ‘possible fuel switches’
“Boeing 787 uses a spring locking mechanism in its fuel control switch to prevent unintentional movements,” explained Mr Singh.
But the previous bulletin from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “warned that this switch might be installed with locking features released,” he said.
This can “make them vulnerable to unwanted movements because of vibrations, contacts, or flex quadrant”, he added.
The tail of the plane lodged in a building. Pic: Reuters
Speaking to Sky News, flight expert Terry Tozner said: “Take-off is normal, the plane rotates at the correct speed leaving the ground and immediately, the cut-off switch is chosen to die, one later two.
“But no one says with clarity whether the hook mechanism works well on this special aircraft. So we can only assume that they are in normal circumstances.”
In India, there has been a reaction to the findings, some of the reports refer to pilot errors without much information and almost reject the possibility of mechanical or electricity failure.
The Indian government responded
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu quickly responded, saying: “We care for the welfare and welfare of the pilot so do not jump to conclusions at this stage, let’s wait for the final report.
“I believe we have the most beautiful workforce of pilots and crew around the world.”
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Indian plane crash victim carrying a brother’s coffin
The two pilots were experienced, with around 19,000 flight hours between them, including more than 9,000 at Boeing 787.
The report said the aircraft maintenance examination was according to schedule and that there were no signs of fuel contamination or bird strikes.
So far, there are no safety recommendations issued for Boeing or General Electric, engine manufacturers.
Concerns about the destroyed flight recorder
Mr Singh said “The ability to survive flight recorders also cause concern”.
The aircraft rear flight recorder, which was designed to withstand the impact strength of 3,400 GS and a temperature of 1,100C for 60 minutes, “damaged outside of recovery”.
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“RAM air turbines (rats), which are deployed automatically when the two engines fail and the power drops below the threshold, observed as used in CCTV footage when the aircraft is around 60 feet above the ground surface,” Singh said.
“This shows that the failure of the double machine is likely to occur before the official time stamp 08:08:42 UTC, implies possible differences.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the accident site. PIC: X/AP
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Mr Singh said it was also “from a special note” that the aircraft emergency locator transmitter (ELT) did not send a signal after the accident.
“Is ELT damaged, unarmed, wrong, or not functioning?” he said.
This report has produced more questions than answers about topics including human errors, failure of resources and mechanical or electricity damage.
The final report is expected to take one year. Meanwhile, the family wrestled with the disappearance of unimaginable beloved people in one of the worst disasters in the history of Indian flights.
