Two days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) intial probe report, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson Monday said it does not mention any cause of the crash on June 12 near Ahmedabad airport, and has not found “mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines”.
All mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed, he said in a message to Air India staff, urging people to avoid drawing premature conclusions amid ongoing investigation. He emphasised that the preliminary report identified no cause nor made any recommendations.
“There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status,” he added.
On Saturday, the AAIB released its 15-page preliminary report on the probe into the deadly Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad airport on June 12. The London Gatwick-bound Boeing aircraft crashed soon after takeoff.
The report stated that both the fuel control switches were changed from the “RUN” to “CUTOFF” position just after lift-off, causing the aircraft to lose thrust. It does not specify if these were moved by either of the pilots to the CUTOFF mode.
Further, the report also provides quotes from the pilot confirming the switch transition – “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff fuel. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
Speaking on Monday, Wilson said every Boeing 787 operating in the fleet was checked within days of the crash and found fit for service, Wilson said. “We will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry,” he said, in his meesage on the airline’s approach of “abundance of caution”.
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“We continue to perform all necessary checks, as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest,” he added.