Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s report on the Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash last month is based on preliminary findings and one should not jump into conclusions till the final report is released.
“This is a preliminary report, at the ministry we are analysing it…We are coordinating with the AIBB for any support they need. We are hoping that the final reports come out soon so that we can arrive at some conclusion,” ANI quoted Naidu as saying.
“I don’t think we should jump into any conclusions over this,” he added.
Naidu further stated that pilots and crew are the backbone of the aviation industry and assured that all necessary steps would be taken to uphold safety standards.
The civil aviation minister’s statements come hours after the AAIB released its preliminary probe report that indicated a possible fuel switch as the reason behind the crash.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, resulting in the deaths of 260 individuals, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
What AAIB report said
The report outlines a harrowing sequence of events that unfolded within 90 seconds of takeoff, as both engines of the aircraft shut down unexpectedly during the initial climb, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust and rapid descent, according to ANI.
Flight data recovered from the aircraft’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) revealed that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were inadvertently moved from RUN to CUTOFF, one after the other within a 1-second interval, at an altitude just moments after liftoff. One pilot was heard asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the response was, “I did not.”
This uncommanded shutdown triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), and the aircraft began losing altitude almost immediately, unable to sustain powered flight.
According to the AAIB, the pilots re-engaged the fuel switches in an attempt to relight both engines. Engine 1 showed signs of recovering thrust, but Engine 2 failed to stabilise. The aircraft, which had briefly reached a speed of 180 knots, was already descending and failed to regain altitude. The final distress call – a “MAYDAY” – was transmitted at 08:09 UTC, just seconds before the aircraft crashed into residential buildings outside the airport perimeter.