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‘Respect sensitivity’: Probe agency AAIB reacts to US media report on Air India crash
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said it will share Air India crash updates with technical or public interest value as and when required.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday said it is essential to respect the sensitivity of families of passengers, crew members, and others who lost their lives in the Air India crash, as the investigation is still underway and no conclusions have been drawn yet.
The statement came a day after The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a report citing cockpit voice recordings and early assessments by US officials, saying the captain may have inadvertently cut fuel supply to the engines seconds after takeoff.
“Essential to respect the sensitivity of family members of deceased passengers, crew, and others who died on the ground due to the plane crash,” the AAIB said in a statement.
The bureau, which functions under ministry of civil aviation also clarified that any updates related to the investigation will be released only when necessary.
“AAIB will publish updates on the Air India plane crash that have technical or public interest value as and when required,” it said.
Dismissing speculation around the cause of the crash, the agency said it was too early to draw conclusions and urged restraint in public commentary.
“It's too early to reach any definite conclusions on the Air India plane crash; the probe is still not complete,” said AAIB, adding, “The final probe report will come out with root causes and recommendations. Refrain from spreading premature narratives.”
What does WSJ say in its report?
According to The Wall Street Journal, a cockpit recording captured first officer Clive Kunder asking Captain Sumeet Sabharwal why he had cut off fuel flow to the engines shortly after liftoff. Sabharwal reportedly replied that he had not done so.
The Journal cited people familiar with early assessments by US officials into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people, including 19 on the ground.
The AAIB’s preliminary report, released Saturday, similarly mentioned that one pilot was heard asking the other about the fuel cutoff, and the response was a denial. However, the investigators did not identify which pilot made which remark.
The WSJ further reported that Kunder, who was flying the aircraft, had questioned why the fuel switches had been moved to the “cutoff” position moments after takeoff.
The publication added that it had not seen evidence beyond this verbal exchange but quoted US pilots who reviewed the AAIB's report as saying Kunder likely had his hands full during liftoff, implying it was improbable he operated the switches.
According to the AAIB’s findings, both engine fuel switches moved from “run” to “cutoff” within seconds of takeoff. Although the switches were turned back to “run” and the engines attempted to restart, the aircraft had already lost altitude and speed.
