Air India Crash Probe: 2018 FAA Advisory Was Not As Critical, Say Airline Officials | Profit Exclusive
Among findings, the report mentioned a 2018 bulletin issued by the US aviation regulator on the fuel switch.
The 2018 FAA Advisory—mentioned in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's preliminary report on the Air India AI 171 crash—was not as critical, according to Air India officials who spoke to NDTV Profit on the condition of anonymity.
In response to the AAIB's report, released in the wee hours of Saturday, the people quoted above said that had that been the case, all planes would have been grounded.
Among findings, the report mentioned a 2018 bulletin issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on the fuel switch. The US aviation regulator had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin, which had warned of a fuel control switch locking malfunction in the Boeing 787.
One of the key findings of the report was that the twin engines of the ill-fated flight shut down seconds after take-off as fuel supply was cut off, with neither pilot acknowledging turning off the switches.
According to the 15-page report, the aircraft hit its top recorded airspeed of 180 knots. Moments later, the fuel cut off switches—responsible for controlling fuel flow to the engines—moved from the 'RUN' position to 'CUTOFF' one after another, with a gap of one second.
In 2018, Air India had not carried out inspections recommended by the FAA bulletin as they were not mandatory, according to the AAIB report.
Air India only has the preliminary report and is not part of the investigations undertaken by AAIB and National Transportation Safety Board. The guidelines prevents the airline from commenting on any initial findings, the people quoted above said.
