Cockpit voices fuel controversy over doomed flight

When the initial report was released in the crash of the Air India Air 171 – which killed 260 people in June – many expressed hope to bring this closure.

Instead, and A 15 -page report He added fuel to a storm of speculation. Because, despite the measured tone of the report, one details continue to chase investigators, flying analysts and the public alike.

After seconds, each of the 12-year-old fuel control is transmitted to “cut”, lowering fuel to engines and causes total energy loss-a step that is usually done after landing.

The steering cockpit is one of the pilots asking the other about the reason for “doing the pieces”, which a person responds to that he did not. The registration does not explain who said what. At the time of takeoff, the co -pilot was flying the plane while the captain was watching.

The keys were returned to normal, which led to the automatic offering of the engine. At the time of the accident, one of the engine was recovering while the other had seized, but he had not yet recovered. The plane was mobile for less than a minute before it collided in a neighborhood in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Many speculation theories have appeared since the initial report – the full report is expected within a year or so.

Wall Street Magazine (Wsj) and Reuters “New details in the investigation of India last month turned the focus on the great pilot in the cockpit.”

Italian newspaper Correier Dela Serra He claimed that her sources told them that the first officer has repeatedly asked the captain of the team about the reason for “closing the engines.”

Sumit Sabaharwal, 56, was the captain on the flight, while Clav Connder, 32, was the co -pilot who was flying the plane. Together, pilots had more than 19,000 hours of the flight experience – nearly half of them on the Boeing 787. Both passed all health checks before the flight before collapse.

It is understood that the wave of speculative leaks shook the investigators and angered Indian pilots.

Last week, the AAIB aircraft investigative investigation office (AAIB), the main investigator, said in a statement that “certain sections of the international media have repeatedly tries to extract conclusions through Selective and Difficulty ReportsThese “procedures” described [as] Not responsible, especially while the investigation is still ongoing.

Jennifer Humandi, President of the National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB), who helps in the investigation, said that X that media reports were. “It is too early and speculative” And that investigations of this size take time. ”

Returning to India, the Indian Trade Pilots Association condemned the rush to blame the crew as “reckless” and “very sensitive”, urging restraint until the final report is done.

Sam Tomas, President of the Airlines Flights Association in India, told BBC that “speculation has triumphed over transparency”, with a focus on the need to review and document the date of the plane maintenance alongside the cockpit recorder.

At the heart of this controversy is the registration of the brief cockpit in the report – the full text, expected in the final report, must be shed, the light is clearer of what actually happened.

An air investigator in Canada, who preferred to stay without his name, said that the conversation excerpts in the report provided at several possibilities.

For example, “if the pilot” B “is the person who manages the keys – and he did so unintentionally or unconsciously – it is understood that they will later deny that they did that,” the investigator said.

“But if the pilot” A “is working on the keys to deliberately and in the eyes, it may have asked the question well on the knowledge that the cockpit record will be examined, and with the aim of organizing attention and avoiding identifying that he is responsible.

“Even if AAIB is ultimately able to determine who he said, this does not decisively answer the question” Who extinguished the fuel? “.

“We may never know this question.”

Investigators told the BBC that although there is strong evidence that fuel keys have been turned on manually, it is still important to maintain an “open mind”.

The imbalance in the full -aircraft engine control system – which monitors and performing the engine health – can lead, in theory, to turn off automatically if it receives wrong signals from the sensors, as some pilots indicate.

However, if the pilot marveled – “Why did you cut off [the fuel]? – It came after the keys were transferred to the pieces (as observed in the initial report), and this theory will be undermined. The final report is likely to include a bright dialogue on the passage of time and a detailed engine analysis to clarify this.

Speculation has been fueled by those who said what, and more than that what he did not say.

The initial report blocked the full -driving audio version (CVR), which reveals only one line, from the last moments.

This selective disclosure raised questions: Was the investigation team confident of the identities of the speakers, but he chose to block the rest from allergies? Or are they still not sure of those who heard and need more time to completely investigate the matter before publishing any conclusions?

Peter Gowls, the former NTSB administrative director, says AAIB must release an audio recorded version while identifying experimental sounds.

“If any breakdowns start during takeoff, they will be recorded in the FDR registrar and may have caused alerts in the aviation management system – alerts that the crew had certainly noticed, and most importantly, discuss.”

Investigators urge self -control in extracting conclusions.

“We must be careful because it is easy to assume that if the keys are turned off, that deliberate work – a pilot error, suicide, or anything else. This is a dangerous way to go with the limited information we have,” said Sean Brothniki, a former airline and airline at Ohio State University.

At the same time, alternative theories continue to circulate.

Indian newspapers, including Indian Express, have made a possible sign Electric fire in the tail As a major center. But the initial report shows: The engines were stopped because both fuel keys were transferred to the pieces – a fact supported by the registrar’s data. An independent investigator said that in the event of a tail fire, it is likely that this happens after that, due to the poured fuel or damaged batteries.

Last week, the president of AAIB GVG Yugandhar confirmed that the initial report aims to “provide information about” what happened “.

He said, “It is too early for the specific conclusions,” stressing that the investigation will continue and will determine the final report “the radical reasons and recommendations.” He also pledged to share updates on “technical or public interest” when they appear.

Mr. Pruchnici said that the investigation “is summarized in two possibilities – either deliberate work or confusion, or a problem related to automation.”

“The report does not push to blame the human error or intention; there is no evidence that it was intentional.”

In other words, there is no smoking rifle – just unstable waiting for answers that may never appear completely.