What could have caused Air India Flight AI171 to crash?

[IronShield]

What if the breathalyser test was fake and both pilots had been under the influence? Which might explain the inexplicable monumental mistake.

 

[90MPH]

I'm also inclined to believe it's the pilot who did the mr bean type bonghi

He then realised what he had done put the fuel switches back to run to correct the mistake but it was too late , so asked co pilot why did you cut of the fuel has some sort of self absolvation and self guilt . And then realised he screwed up gives the distress call.

This theory is totally inconceivable.

There is no way in hell the one of the pilots could have accidentally switched these fuel cut off line because of incompetence. I will explain why.

Firstly the plane could not have taken off if the switch was on the cut off position. The fuel cut off position had occurred seconds after take off.

The most likely scenario is the trainee pilot focused on take off while the captain had discreetly cut off the switch and then played a game of reverse psychology. He then obviously put it on the on position but knew exactly what he was doing as this would have been far too late to gain any lift on a plane that was going down rapidly.

The captain deliberately crashed the plane, there is no other plausible theory around this.

 

[HalBass9]

It’s either pilot or a Boeing malfunction. In recent times, Boeing’s track record on safety has definitely raised some eyebrows. That said, mental health is no joke either, it shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential factor.

 

[90MPH]

It’s either pilot or a Boeing malfunction. In recent times, Boeing’s track record on safety has definitely raised some eyebrows. That said, mental health is no joke either, it shouldn’t be overlooked as a potential factor.

I agree that Boeing’s safety record has been very dubious lately but this
particular plane was the Dreamliner that has an impecable record.
Prior to this crash they have been running for 14 years with no fatalities.

So I will heavily rule out a technical malfunction and pilot error is the only other plausible theory but from the preliminary report that looks highly unlikely, again explained above why this doesn’t seem plausible.

I’m afraid it’s a very very likely a pilot suicide induced crash.

 

[Technics 1210]

Well, it turns out the captain switched off the fuel supply to the engines as per reports in Reuters. The black box recordings substantiate this.

Money says the Captain was drunk.

 

[sweep_shot]

Well, it turns out the captain switched off the fuel supply to the engines as per reports in Reuters. The black box recordings substantiate this.

Money says the Captain was drunk.

Could be a pilot suicide too. Just like that Germanwings pilot (who crashed deliberately in 2015).

 

[Technics 1210]

Could be a pilot suicide too. Just like that Germanwings pilot (who crashed deliberately in 2015).

Very true.

This is why mental well being is so important in a role like this.

 

[globetrotter]

Could be a pilot suicide too. Just like that Germanwings pilot (who crashed deliberately in 2015).

If ppls make such allegation on pilot then onus lies on the ppls to prove the same

 

[BouncerGuy]

Until anything is proven, I think we must not jump to conclusions... INvestigation is going on and so far they are blaming pilots for that engine mess up... Let's see.

 

[oatmeal]

Until anything is proven, I think we must not jump to conclusions... INvestigation is going on and so far they are blaming pilots for that engine mess up... Let's see.

Its just the most likely cause. The readouts dont show any engine failures , they spooled down after both the switches were transitioned to CUTOFF and one of the engines came back when the copilot transitioned them back to RUN

 

[gazza619]

Indian qualified pilots reputation is at an all time low.

PIA’s fake degree pilots could fly better.

 

[IronShield]

Indian qualified pilots reputation is at an all time low.

PIA’s fake degree pilots could fly better.

There are reports of PIA pilots flying under the influence in the past, but luckily none of them managed to turn the engines off during take off.

 

[oatmeal]

Indian qualified pilots reputation is at an all time low.

PIA’s fake degree pilots could fly better.

PIA pilots on aggregate are probably the worst pilots in the world. There are multiple videos of air crash investigations where the pilots have behaved recklessly and unprofessionally leading to the crash. its one thing to make a mistake (or suicide in this crash). Its another to berate your first officer and snatch controls at the last minute and totally ignore the tower.

 

[Technics 1210]

Here are the facts.

The black box proves the fuel supply was cut off manually (switch triggered).

The black box proves the captain triggered the switch.

There are now 3 possibilities on why:

1 - The Captain was drunk.

2 - The Captain was incompetent.

3 - The Captain was suicidal.

In either case, Air India, and Indian pilots in general can never be trusted.

Replace AI - Air India with AI - Artificial Intelligence - and you'll have a safer airline.

 

[Technics 1210]

We may have the first case of a suicidal hindutva terrorist attack.

 

[aboveandbeyond]

An initial analysis of the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the Air India flight that crashed last month reveals that the younger co-pilot asked the captain why he had turned off the plane’s fuel-supply switches, according to a US media report.

First officer Clive Kunder had the controls of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for take-off and at the time of the crash moments later outside Ahmedabad airport, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal citing sources in the investigation, and it was he who asked flight captain Sumeet Sabharwal why he had flipped the switches, starving the engines of fuel.

It represents a potentially important new detail, emerging several days after a preliminary official report in the crash revealed only that the brief interaction had taken place, without naming who said what or quoting them directly.


Air India Flight 171 crashed into a medical college less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad in western India heading for London Gatwick, killing 241 people on board and another 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived the crash.

The preliminary report, issued a month after the crash in line with international regulations, has sparked controversy with a pilots’ association accusing it of trying to place the blame on Sabharwal and Kunder without conclusive evidence.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday said the 15-page report released lacks comprehensive data and appears to rely selectively on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to suggest pilot error and question the professional competence and integrity of the flight cr
“Assigning blame before a thorough, transparent and data-driven investigation is both premature and irresponsible. Such speculative commentary undermines the professionalism of highly trained crew members causes undue distress to their families and colleagues,” it added.

The Journal did not say if there was any evidence that Sabharwal did move the switches, beyond the verbal exchange it cited.

But it quoted US pilots who have read the Indian authorities’ report as saying that Kunder, the pilot actively flying, likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner’s controls at that stage of the flight.

India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report said the fuel switches both switched from “run” to “cutoff”, one second apart from each other, just after takeoff. It does not say how this occurred.

open image in gallery
Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (REUTERS)
It said an analysis of CCTV footage shows the plane’s backup engine, known as the RAM air turbine, deployed almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, indicating a loss of power from the engines.

The London-bound plane began to lose thrust, and after reaching a height of 650 feet, the jet started to sink.

The fuel switches for both engines were turned back to run, and the airplane automatically tried restarting its engines, the report said.

The incident has also rekindled debate over whether planes should have video cameras in the cockpit, a demand that pilots have pushed back against.

Aviation safety expert John Nance said investigators likely would have benefited greatly from having video footage of the cockpit during the Air India flight.

Supporters of cockpit video cameras say they can help fill gaps left by audio and data recorders, while critics argue that privacy concerns and potential misuse outweigh the limited investigative benefits.

Air India cockpit audio ‘shows first officer confronting captain over fuel switches’

Pilots’ association criticises report for selectively relying on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings

www.independent.co.uk

 

[IronShield]

It seems that the captain either drunk or suicidal turned off the fuel to the engines. The younger pilot tried to redeem the situation but just didn't have enough elevation to get things under control. Really sad.