The preliminary findings into the crash of Air India flight AI171 are not enough to determine the cause of the accident, and investigators should not draw conclusions at this stage, former Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau director Group Captain Aurobindo Handa said.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed 32 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground. A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday stated that both engines lost thrust after the fuel cut-off switches moved from the ‘RUN' to the ‘CUTOFF' position seconds after take-off. Neither pilot acknowledged moving the switches, and the aircraft crashed outside the airport perimeter.
Handa said the report presents a factual timeline but does not identify what triggered the failure. “Even though the report is out, it just contains the facts… what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive,” he said during a panel discussion on NDTV Profit.
He added that preliminary and final findings often differ in air crash investigations and that a deeper technical analysis is still required. “We have seen the initial findings and the final findings — they are at variance in majority of the investigations,” he said.
Handa said the AAIB is expected to use a process of elimination to rule out functioning systems before identifying the most likely cause. The final report is due within 12 months, as recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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