'There was NO ISSUE with the quality of fuel': Air India CEO says no mechanical issue found in probe report

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said that the preliminary investigation report into the Ahmedabad crash found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or its engines. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIM) released the investigation report on Saturday (July 12) regarding the crash of AI 171, in which 260 people were killed, including the medical students of the college where the plane crashed. The preliminary report, around 15 pages, was released a month after the deadly crash. The report has revealed details around all the important aspects of the crash.

In a communication marked to select Air India employees, Wilson said, "All mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll." He also pointed out the fact that both the pilots of the aircraft had cleared mandatory pre-flight breath analyser tests.

"We continue to perform necessary checks on all planes, as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest," he added.

Fuel cut-off mid-air

The investigation report revealed that the fuel to both engines of the Boeing 787 aircraft was cut-off mid mid-air, just three seconds after the plane took off. "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 report said.

Pilots confused

The investigation report also revealed the last moments of the plane, in which the pilot of the aircraft was heard confused in the cockpit voice recording. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report read.

Boeing advisory not followed

The investigation report also revealed that Boeing had issued an optional advisory on the fuel control switch locking mechanism, but Air India had not carried out the recommended checks.

The AAIB report also confirmed that the wreckage analysis, post-mortem, is ongoing. "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers," the report said.