Air India has announced that inspections of fuel control switches on its other Boeing 787 aircraft have been completed, with no issues discovered, following the crash last month that killed 260 people. The move came after a preliminary report revealed that the switches controlling fuel flow to the engines on the crashed plane had been turned off shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.
The report, released by India's aviation authority, indicated that the switches were deactivated one after another, starving the engines of fuel and causing them to shut down. The London-bound aircraft then lost altitude and crashed, killing 241 passengers and crew and 19 people on the ground. The report made no recommendations for action against Boeing.
According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials are now focusing on the actions of the plane's captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, who is believed to have moved the fuel switches. A black-box recording suggests the first officer, Clive Kunder, questioned the move, but the captain denied it. The WSJ reported that Kunder panicked while Sabharwal remained calm, but did not indicate whether the action was deliberate or accidental.
The Federation of Indian Pilots has strongly criticised the WSJ report as baseless, while the civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, urged against jumping to conclusions. Two pilot groups condemned any suggestion of pilot error as reckless. Investigators are also examining previous technical glitches on the plane for possible uncommanded switch transitions.
Relatives of the victims have expressed frustration at what they called a vague preliminary report. Air India's chief executive, Campbell Wilson, acknowledged additional questions but urged staff to avoid premature conclusions as the investigation continues.
