A preliminary investigation into the Air India crash that killed 260 people on June 12 reveals cockpit confusion shortly after takeoff, raising questions about the cause of engine power loss.
00:00A preliminary investigation into Air India crash that killed 260 people on June 12 has depicted cockpit confusion shortly after takeoff, raising serious questions about how the engines lost power.
00:15The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India, in a report released on Saturday, said the Boeing Dreamliner bound for London from Ahmedabad lost thrust almost immediately after becoming airborne when both engine-fuel cutoff switches flipped, starving the engines of fuel.
00:34CCTV footage showed the deployment of a Ram air turbine, a backup power source, just moments after takeoff, indicating the engines had lost power.
00:46Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other why he had cut off the fuel. The other responded that he had not.
00:54The report did not identify which pilot made the remark or who issued the Mayday distress call just before the aircraft crashed.
01:02The Investigation Bureau said the switches flipped to cut off one second apart, the time it would take for a human to flip them manually.
01:09Aviation expert John Nance noted that pilots would never switch them off during climb unless there was an engine fire or emergency.
01:19The report, however, found no such emergency.
01:23Experts also pointed out that the switches are designed to prevent accidental activation.
01:28Air India acknowledged the preliminary findings and said it is cooperating fully with authorities.
