In the early morning hours of June 12, Air India Flight 171 invariable met a horrific fate crashing just after takeoff to claim 260 victims. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was cleared for departure from the airport at 8:07 AM (UTC), but within seconds, both fuel-control switches on the aircraft moved to the “cutoff” position. This severe failure allowed the plane’s engines to lose thrust and power, directly contributing to the catastrophic chain of events.
The preliminary report recently released by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators paints a picture of the events leading up to the crash. Just seconds after the aircraft took off, these crucial fuel-control switches on the flight went blank with no warning. These switches are centrally located on the flight deck and are not easily activated in error. This decision sparked tremendous outrage over how the aircraft was still operational and what the crew was doing at the time.
Cockpit Communication Raises Concerns
The cockpit voice recordings documented a dramatic struggle between the pilots in the middle of the emergency. One of the pilots on the scene could be heard over the emergency dispatch saying, “Why did he go short?” This question indicates the concern and panic felt in the moments after the switches controlling the aircraft’s fuel unexpectedly switched positions.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other: why did he cut off?” – report
What followed in the other pilot’s response shook me. Yet he vigorously denied doing anything of the sort.
“The other pilot responded that he did not do so.” – report
Representatives’ exchange underscores the importance of a serious investigation. We need to figure out how both these switches were able to move to cutoff without deliberate action from the crew.
Engine Power and Emergency Response
After the cutoff switches were flipped to cutoff, one engine started to regain power. At the same time, the other engine relit but it had not fully restored its thrust-pushing power. At approximately 8:09 AM, as circumstances worsened, one of the pilots transmitted a distress call: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.”
If the chronology of events is accurate, that would indicate an alarming engine performance failure upon immediate takeoff. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and other agencies are greatly looking at what mechanical failure or human error led to this tragic occurrence.
Regulatory Response and Industry Insights
In December 2018, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded, issuing a special airworthiness information bulletin. This safety alert addressed the lack of fuel control switches, particularly on Boeing 737 aircraft. Investigations found that these switches often had their locking mechanism removed, leading to the risk of unintentional activation.
One senior industry insider and former test pilot expressed skepticism that these incidents could happen on takeoff. None of this is a likely scenario. This brief remark points to the longstanding dispute over the role of pilot error versus mechanical failure in aviation safety.
Investigators will investigate their analysis to determine the specific cause of the crash. They want to make the recommendations that will ensure similar tragedies don’t happen again in the future.