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Air India crash investigation leaves key questions unanswered

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Air India crash investigation leaves key questions unanswered
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Geoffrey Thomas Editor-In-Chief - US Bureau Chief | Airline Ratings

The preliminary findings from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on the Air India Flight 171 crash confirm that fuel supply to both engines was cut during the aircraft's initial climb. However, this raises more questions than it answers.

A notable omission in the report is the absence of a full Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcript. Despite its recovery and successful download, the CVR transcript has not been released. Aviation experts emphasize its importance for understanding cockpit decision-making during the flight's final moments. "This isn’t just about protocol—it’s about transparency," says Josh Wood, Safety and Service Quality Manager at AirlineRatings.

Another issue not addressed is the unusually long takeoff roll, with the aircraft lifting off after crossing V1 with minimal margin. The report does not explore potential causes such as weight inaccuracies or performance miscalculations.

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The report also fails to attribute cockpit dialogue to either pilot, leaving it unclear who operated the fuel control switches. Analysts suggest that these were manually moved to CUTOFF seconds after liftoff, leading to engine thrust loss.

While acknowledging manual operation of switches, the report does not clarify whether human error, mechanical failure, or deliberate action was involved. Experts also raise concerns about whether FADEC could have mistakenly triggered an automatic fuel cutoff due to a benign performance drop.

Data indicates a relight sequence initiated by FADEC as part of programmed fail-safe measures when no catastrophic damage was detected. This suggests attempts by systems to recover and stabilize flight post-engine cutoff.

The timing of the report's release at 1 am local time has been noted as unusual by sources in India, where government departments typically close by 5 pm.

In conclusion, while providing some clarity on events' timeline and mechanical sequence, the preliminary report leaves many vital questions unanswered until a full report is available in approximately 11 months.

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