Air India crash updates: No mechanical or maintenance faults found in plane, says airline CEO

The probe into last month’s crash of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad is far from over and it is unwise to jump to any premature conclusions, airline CEO Campbell Wilson said in an internal memo on Monday after the release of a preliminary report by investigators.

The memo, reviewed by Reuters, comes after the report depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the crash of the Boeing Dreamliner that killed 260 people. It said the plane’s engine fuel cutoff switches flipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel.

“The release of the preliminary report marked the point at which we, along with the world, began receiving additional details about what took place. Unsurprisingly, it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions.” the memo said.

Mr Wilson added: “The preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over.”

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The memo said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out.

The preliminary report, released on Saturday, suggested no immediate action for Boeing or GE, whose engines were fitted on to the aircraft.

The UK government has said it will review India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report into the tragedy.

On board the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick were 53 British nationals.

A Department for Transport spokesperson told the BBC: “This was a tragic accident, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their families.”

They continued: “The UK welcomes the publication of the Indian Authorities’ preliminary report, and will review this in detail and consider if any action is required.”

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has stated that both pilots aboard the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 flight that crashed last month passed all mandatory pre-flight medical checks, including breathalyser tests.

His remarks, made in an internal memo to staff, come as questions continue to swirl around the cause of the crash, which killed 260 people shortly after takeoff.

Both pilots passed the mandatory pre-flight breathalyser tests, and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status, he said.

The clarification comes amid growing scrutiny over the preliminary investigation, which revealed that both fuel cutoff switches were flipped shortly after takeoff, shutting down the aircraft’s engines.

The report stopped short of attributing blame, but cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been cut -with the second replying that he had not done it.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson offered reassurances, saying preliminary investigation found no mechanical or maintenance faults with the aircraft.

“The Air India crash investigation is far from over,” Mr Wilson said, adding that the airline continues to cooperate fully with authorities, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

However, he cautioned against “premature conclusions”.

He said both pilots passed the mandatory pre-flight breathalyser tests, and there were no observations about their medical status.

There was no issue with the quality of fuel or any abnormality in the aircraft’s take-off roll, he noted.

The preliminary investigation found no mechanical or maintenance faults with the aircraft or its GE engines.

He added that all Boeing 787s in Air India’s fleet were inspected within days of the crash, and were found fit for service.

The airline is continuing to perform all required checks and stands ready to carry out any new inspections recommended by authorities, he added.

South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) is preparing to order all South Korean airlines that operate Boeing aircraft to examine fuel switches in accordance with the FAA 2018 advisory, MOLIT’s foreign media spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not give a timeline for the checks.

The 2018 FAA advisory is a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It provided non-mandatory guidance to airlines operating certain Boeing aircraft, including the Boeing 787, concerning the fuel control switch gates.

The FAA advisory recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.

It comes as the recent report in the Air India Boeing 787 crash found that fuel switches were flipped to “CUTOFF” just after takeoff.

The AirIndia preliminary report said the airline had not carried out the FAA’s suggested inspections as the FAA’s 2018 advisory was not a mandate.

But it also said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash.

Aviation experts have cast doubt on the theory that pilot error led to the fatal Air India Boeing 787-8 crash, saying it is highly unlikely a pilot could accidentally flip the aircraft’s fuel switches during flight.

U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse questioned the logic behind the report’s suggestion. “If they were moved because of a pilot, why?” he asked, pointing out that such an action would defy standard cockpit procedure.

According to fellow US expert John Nance, the switches flipped roughly a second apart, just enough time to manually move one and then the other.

However, he added that pilots are trained never to turn off fuel switches mid-flight, particularly during takeoff or ascent.

“Flipping to cutoff would immediately shut down the engines,” Mr Nance said, adding that such a step is typically only used at the gate after landing or in emergencies like engine fires.

Demetrius Danas, an aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell who is advising some of the victims’ families, described the findings of the report as “deeply concerning”.

“We’re continuing to speak with and advise families who’ve been affected by the Air India crash,” he said. “Understandably, all they want is to be provided with answers.”

Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed in the 12 June crash, making it one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British fatalities.

A total of 260 people were killed after the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport in western India.

Families of the victims of the Air India crash have said they are “not satisfied” with the report released by the investigating authorities that found the plane’s fuel switches were cut off.

The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published on Friday, said both of the plane’s fuel switches moved to the “cut-off” position “immediately” after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.”

In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report reads.

In a statement, relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, described the report as “the first stepping stone” and said the family are still “working our way through the weight of our loss.

“They added: “Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth.”We seek justice and answers, both of which are essential for us to find any sense of closure.”We accept God’s fate, but knowing what happened will help ease our hearts and allow us to begin the long journey of healing.

“Above all, we hope that by pursuing the truth, no other family will ever have to endure the shock, uncertainty, and profound sorrow that we have lived through this past month.”

The cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were flying home to London after surprising their grandmother for her birthday and died in the crash, said he was “not satisfied” by the report.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ishan Baxi, who lives in Ahmedabad, said: “We’re still hoping for a more transparent and honest investigation that doesn’t shy away from addressing possible mechanical flaws or lapses in protocol to avoid future potential accidents.”

He added: “I just hope the final report brings full clarity on what exactly failed and who’s accountable.”It shouldn’t hide behind vague terms.”More than anything, it should push for real changes so this never happens again.”

New clues into the plane crash reveal that the fuel switches flipped almost simultaneously from “run” to “cutoff” just after takeoff. The preliminary report does not explain how the switches could have moved to the “cutoff” position during the flight.

The fuel control switches, prominently located on the critical cockpit control panel, regulate the flow of fuel into each of the plane’s two engines.

Pilots flying the aircraft use fuel cutoff switches to start or shut down engines on the ground. In the event of an engine failure during a flight, the pilots can manually shut down or restart engines using these switches.

They are centrally located on the pedestal between the two pilot seats, positioned just behind the throttle levers.