Air India has found “no issues” with fuel switches on its other Boeing jets after the crash which killed 260 people in June, the carrier has said. India‘s aviation regulator had ordered airlines operating several Boeing models to examine fuel control switches days after an initial investigation into the crash found they were flipped off, starving both engines of fuel.
After the release of a preliminary report, Air India started an examination of locking mechanisms on all fuel control switches as the carrier took precautionary steps on its Boeing jets. The mechanisms are designed to stop the switches from being turned off accidentally while planes are in the air. An official from Air India said on Thursday (July 17) that inspections have been completed on its Boeing jets and “no issues were found”.
It comes as a report by the Wall Street Journal suggested investigators are now looking into the actions of the captain of the plane, Sumeet Sabharwal.
According to the preliminary report into the fatal crash, cockpit voice recordings captured a moment of confusion between the pilot and first officer Clive Kunder. He could be heard asking the pilot why he cut off the fuel. The report said the pilot responded that he did not do so.
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources it said were familiar with a US initial assessment of evidence from the crash, reported that Mr Kunder had panicked, but Mr Sabharwal remained calm.
The publication’s unnamed sources didn’t say if what happened was deliberate or an accident, but US officials believe a criminal investigation should form part of efforts to find what caused the crash in Ahmedabad, northwest India.
The prelimiary report didn’t offer any conclusions as to why the plane crashed and did not say how the switches could have flipped from run position to the cut-off position during the flight.
Some aviation experts in India have speculated the crash was caused by human error based on the preliminary report. At least two commercial pilots’ associations have rejected such claims.
The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association said previously that it was “deeply disturbed by speculative narratives … particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide”.
The Federation of Indian Pilots has criticised the Wall Street Journal’s report, describing it as “baseless” and accusing the publication of trying to blame the pilot, according to The Guardian.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has said the preliminary report into the crash of the London-bound plane found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft and its engines.
In an internal memo to airline staff, Mr Wilson said the report stated all mandatory maintenance tasks of the aircraft had been completed.
He said in the note: “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”.