The chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Jennifer Homendy, said on Friday it is too early to draw conclusions in the investigation into the deadly June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171, following media reports over senior pilot's role in cutting off fuel switches of both engines.
NTSB chairwoman Homendy called the media reports on the Air India crash “premature and speculative”.
The Air India Boeing 787-7 crash, which took place on June 12 in Gujarat's Ahmedabad and claimed 260 lives, is being investigated by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with support from the NTSB.
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Both the AAIB and Air India CEO Campbell Wilson have also urged the public to avoid speculation while the investigation is underway.
“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," NTSB shared Homendy's statement on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," NTSB shared Homendy's statement on X.
{{/usCountry}}According to a preliminary report by the AAIB, two fuel control switches aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were moved to the "cutoff" position moments after takeoff, cutting fuel to the engines.
Though the switches were restored about 10 seconds later, the aircraft had already lost thrust, leading to the crash.
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The Air India crash preliminary report released recently by the AAIB found that in cockpit voice recording, First Officer Clive Kunder is heard asking Captain Sumeet Sabharwal why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so, according to the AAIB report.
In response to the AAIB's findings, India's civil aviation regulator had ordered inspections of fuel control systems on all Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft operating in the country, aiming to rule out potential mechanical issues.