A year on, six questions still haunt the Air India crash investigation

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. A year on, six questions still haunt the Air India crash investigation2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleSoutik BiswasIndia correspondentReutersThe Air India Boeing 787, which crashed in Ahmedabad in June last year, seen here over Melbourne in December 2024A year after Air India Flight 171 to London crashed into a medical college campus moments after take-off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, investigators still cannot say with certainty why one of the world's most advanced passenger jets fell from the sky. An update released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the first anniversary of the disaster on Friday offered few new clues, saying only that analysis of flight recorder data, aircraft systems, engine components, maintenance records and human factors remains under way. A preliminary report published last July found that seconds after take-off, the 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner's fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving both engines of fuel and and triggering total power loss.

What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds? Why cockpit audio deepens the mystery of Air India crashCockpit audio captured one pilot asking the other why he had done it, only to receive the reply: "I did not. " Investigators did not identify either voice, though many experts saw the exchange as a possible indication of deliberate action in the cockpit.

The Details

The crash remains highly unusual. While take-off and landing are aviation's riskiest phases, fatal accidents immediately after lift-off are uncommon. Boeing found that just 14% of global jet crashes between 2004 and 2013 occurred during take-off and initial climb; Airbus puts the figure at about 5%.

So what brought down AI171 in 32 seconds? As the investigation enters its second year, several key questions remain unanswered. What is delaying the final report?

ReutersIndian Army engineers prepare to remove wreckage of the Air India flight in Ahmedabad last JuneJohn Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety consultant, told the that India's AAIB was entitled under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules to take more time if necessary. "There is intense interest within India as to the cause," he said. "The insinuation that it was a deliberate act by the captain has drawn very strong criticism.

What Experts Say

The timing of the engine failure is key to determining the cause. "Cox said any report must establish precisely when the engines lost power, when the fuel-control switches moved and whether the aircraft experienced technical issues on the accident flight or preceding sectors. "Those questions must be resolved," he said.

The lack of answers after a year suggests investigators are still weighing multiple possibilities, according to Shawn Pruchnicki, a former accident investigator and aviation expert at Ohio State University. "Air crash investigations are rarely straightforward," he told the .

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.