(Image source from: PTI)
The first news we have about the Air India plane crash investigation in Ahmedabad last month brings up many questions but doesn't give any answers, said the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA). This worldwide group for pilots said that any guesses based on what's in the first report are just guesses and could mess up the investigation. They also said they will help the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and said that the families who lost loved ones deserve "our shared professionalism" as the investigation continues.
The statement came out on Monday, soon after the AAIB shared its first report on Sunday, which said that changing the fuel source might have caused the terrible crash on June 12. This report caused a lot of criticism and started a big argument about what the pilots did, and also raised some serious worries.
"Just so you know, a first report is just a quick way to share information that was gathered early in the investigation and only includes facts and shows how far the investigation has gone. Following the rules of ICAO Annex 13, these Reports are made public within thirty days of the event," the statement said. "Even though this first Report brings up many questions, it doesn't give answers, and any guesses based on what it says should be seen as just guesses, which don't help the investigation move forward properly. IFALPA also pointed out that the Report clearly says that no safety suggestions are being made right now," it continued. The group asked everyone to stop guessing, let the investigation happen thoroughly and correctly, and not to make conclusions based on the first report.
The flight AI 171, headed to London, crashed into the homes of doctors from BJ Medical College in the Meghaninagar area right after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, which started a fire. Out of the 242 people on the plane, including passengers and crew, only one person survived the crash. Most of the people who died were at the college and nearby areas. Nine students and their family members from the school were among the people who died because of the accident on the ground. In its first investigation report, the AAIB said that the fuel to both engines of the Air India flight 171 to London had been turned off because the pilots were confused just before the plane crashed soon after takeoff on June 12. It said that one pilot wondered why he had turned off the fuel, with the other saying that he did not do it.
The report said that the plane's fastest speed was 180 Knots IAS around 08:08:42 UTC, and quickly after that, the fuel switches for Engine 1 and Engine 2 went from RUN to CUTOFF one after another, with a pause of one second between them. The report said that the engine N1 and N2 began to go down from where they were at takeoff because the fuel to the engines was stopped. The report said that in the recording from the cockpit, one pilot asked the other why the fuel was turned off, but the other pilot answered that he was not the one who did it. The AAIB's report about the sad event also said that fuel samples from the refueling trucks and tanks were tested at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation lab and were found to be okay.
On Sunday, many experts, like AAIB leader Aurobindo Handa, said that it is too soon to decide anything about what the pilots did based on the first report from the investigation. Before this, Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a famous flying expert in India who used to teach about the Boeing 737, made a surprising claim that the crash might have been on purpose because the fuel switches have to be moved by hand. But, other pilots and flying experts have said they do not agree with this idea.
