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Families of the victims of Air India flight 171 are demanding answers as an interim report reveals the engines on the 787-8 were turned off shortly after take-off.
In the preliminary report into the 12 June crash, which killed 241 people on board and 19 on the ground, injuring 67 more, investigators from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that the plane’s engines both had their fuel cut off moments into the flight.
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“The aircraft air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode, consistent with liftoff at 08:08:39 UTC,” the report reads.
“The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec.
“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
While the pilots flipped both switches back to the RUN position, the state they were found in at the crash site, only one engine had regained any power, while the other had just relit.
All crew members had been found to be “fit to operate the flight” in breathalyser tests at Ahmedabad Airport beforehand, and the pilots had been given an “adequate rest period prior to operating the said flight”.
As reported in The Guardian, victims’ families have voiced their dissatisfaction with the report. Some have called for full accountability and “real changes”, while one family in a statement called the report “the first stepping stone” to finding the truth.
“Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth,” they said.
“We seek justice and answers, both of which are essential for us to find any sense of closure. We accept God’s fate, but knowing what happened will help ease our hearts and allow us to begin the long journey of healing.
“Above all, we hope that by pursuing the truth, no other family will ever have to endure the shock, uncertainty, and profound sorrow that we have lived through this past month.”
The accident was the first ever fatal hull loss of a 787 Dreamliner. The 11.5-year-old plane involved, VT-ANB, was delivered in 2014 according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium, and was one of 34 in the Air India fleet. The majority of Air India’s Dreamliners were cleared by inspectors soon after the accident.
1,148 Boeing 787s are currently in use around the world, with both Qantas and Jetstar using the aircraft in Australia: Qantas flies 14 787-9s, while Jetstar has 11 787-8s. Air New Zealand also operates the aircraft type, with 14 787-9s.
