Air India Crash Report Raises More Questions, CEO Says In Memo

There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll, Wilson wrote. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status, he said.

Air India didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comments.

According to AAIB’s report, Clive Kunder, a pilot with roughly 1,100 flight hours on Boeing’s most advanced jet, was flying the plane. The report identified him as pilot flying, while Sumeet Sabharwal, the more experienced and senior cockpit occupant in command, was pilot monitoring for the flight. It’s common for a captain and co-pilot to switch flying duties, particularly on longer journeys.

While the report replayed the takeoff sequence in detail, several elements remain unclear. For example, the report didn’t identify which pilot asked the other why he had turned off the fuel switches. There’s also no additional communication transcript from the flight deck beyond that brief exchange.

Some pilots who reviewed the report also noted that turning off the fuel switches took only one second but turning them back on took much longer — 10 seconds for the first one and another four for the second switch — resulting in too little time to get enough thrust back up to save the aircraft.

Investigators also said that they found no evidence so far that would require them to take actions over the Boeing aircraft or the GE Aerospace engines powering it.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” according to the AAIB report.