On June 12, an Air India passenger plane flying from Ahmedabad, India to the UK crashed, killing 260 people. In the preliminary report of the investigation that came after a month, it was confirmed that the accident occurred due to fuel supply to both the engines of the plane.
According to a report released by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of India, the fuel control switches of Engine-1 and Engine-2 were moved from the 'operate' to the 'off' position at intervals of one second, within seconds of the aircraft reaching maximum speed after takeoff.
In a recorded conversation in the cockpit, one pilot asks another pilot, 'Why did you turn off the fuel?' The report states that the plane fell to the ground shortly thereafter.
After the accident, the fuel supply was resumed and there were indications that the engine would start, but the pilot had already sent an 'emergency message'. The plane then went completely out of control. In the
report, it is recalled that in 2018, the United States Aviation Regulatory Agency informed about the possible failure of the locking technology in the fuel control system. However, saying that this is not a binding instruction, Air India inspected as per the suggestion It said that it did not break the story. In the report, it is stated that there is no technical weakness on the part of the aircraft manufacturer and engine manufacturer. Also, it is mentioned that all the instructions related to aircraft operation have been followed.
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane. Due to the accident, 19 people on the ground also died and some were injured. Only one passenger, a British citizen, survived the crash. He walked some distance to a safe place after the plane crash and now he has returned home after treatment.
The cause of the accident has not yet been fully confirmed. International experts, aircraft manufacturing companies, engine manufacturers and related agencies are jointly investigating. The work of collecting and analyzing the rest of the evidence is ongoing. Air India has said that it is fully cooperating with the investigation and the aircraft manufacturer has expressed its condolences to all those affected.
