No mechanical, maintenance issues found in AI-171 crashed plane: Air India CEO on probe report

NEW DELHI: Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Monday said that that Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report on AI-171 plane crash in Ahmedabad has not found “mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines” and urged people not to draw any “premature conclusions” before the investigation is completed.

Addressing Air India’s employees in a mail, Campbell Wilson emphasised that the report did not identify cause nor make any recommendations for the June 12 crash of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 plane crash in which 260 people were killed. He further said that the Air India will continue to co-operate with the AAIB for a thorough and comprehensive enquiry.

“I suggest we note that the Preliminary Report found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status”, Wilson said in the mail.

“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. We will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry,” the Air India CEO said.

Wilson also emphasised that every Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft has been checked and was found fit for service. He further added that airlines will continue to perform all necessary checks. “I would also remind that, out of an abundance of caution and under the oversight of the DGCA, every Boeing 787 aircraft operating in our fleet was checked within days of the accident and all were found fit for service. We continue to perform all necessary checks, as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest”, the Air India CEO said.

Campbell Wilson advised his employees to remain focused amid the “speculations and sensational headlines” that came after the report. “Until a final report or cause is tabled there will no doubt be new rounds of speculation and more sensational headlines. We must nevertheless remain focused on our task and be true to the values that have powered Air India’s transformation journey over the past three years – integrity, excellence, customer focus, innovation and teamwork. Let us not be diverted from what are our top priorities: standing by the bereaved and those injured, working together as a team, and delivering a safe and reliable air travel experience to our customers around the world,” he said.

The AAIB’s Preliminary Report released on Friday said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from “run” to “cutoff,” in quick succession, which resulted in the fuel supply to be cut off. The report says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff, which the other pilot denied ever doing so.

“The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” the preliminary report said.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report added. As per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) accessed by the AAIB, the engine 1’s fuel cut switch transitioned from ‘cutoff’ to ‘run’ at about 8:08:52 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). On 8:08:56 UTC the Engine 2’s fuel switch also went from ‘cutoff’ to run’.

The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad, Gujarat killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. (ANI)