Air India 171 Remains A Deepening Mystery

Take-off into Tragedy: The Deepening Mystery of Air India 171

A standard departure from Ahmedabad became a national catastrophe in June when Air India Flight 171 went down in less than sixty seconds after lifting off. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged from the sky, resulting in the deaths of 260 individuals on the plane and on the ground. A newly released preliminary report has only intensified the enigma of its last moments. Rather than offering clarity, the first findings have directed intense examination towards the aircraft's flight deck and the choices made in the seconds after the plane left the tarmac. Investigators are now confronted with the immense challenge of explaining how a contemporary aircraft, operated by a seasoned crew, experienced a total power failure during the flight's most vulnerable phase.

A Doomed Departure

Air India Flight 171 commenced its takeoff in fine weather conditions. The twelve-year-old Boeing 787, with registration VT-ANB, ascended to a height of merely 625 feet. After about 50 seconds in the air, its signal disappeared from public tracking services like FlightRadar24. People on the ground observed the aircraft descending into a densely populated area of the city in western India. The crash created one of the most perplexing and tragic air disasters in the annals of Indian aviation. The swiftness of the aircraft's deterioration has left the public and experts alike demanding explanations, which the early phase of the investigation has not fully provided, creating more questions than answers.

Mobilising the Investigation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India, or AAIB, promptly assumed control of the inquiry. An AAIB investigation's principal goal is to prevent future accidents, not to apportion fault. A five-person team from the AAIB reached Ahmedabad on the same day the crash occurred. As per international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the nation where the plane was designed and built is a participant in the investigation. This led to a US delegation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), along with technical advisors from General Electric and Boeing, becoming part of the probe. Because UK nationals were among the casualties, the AAIB from Britain also dispatched its own representatives.

Preserving Fragile Clues

For investigators, the initial task at any crash location is to protect what is termed perishable evidence. This category covers witness accounts, which can evolve over time, and wreckage distribution patterns that weather or recovery work might alter. The AAIB group, under its Director General, secured the perimeter of the location. They used drones for photography and videography before transporting the wreckage to a protected hangar at the airport for methodical analysis. Fuel samples collected from the supply tanks were analysed and found to be fine, dismissing early speculation about fuel contamination being responsible for the twin engine failure.

A Disturbing Cockpit Conversation

The puzzle’s heart is the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). The AAIB's initial report contained a startling revelation. Moments after the plane was airborne, both fuel-control switches for the Dreamliner were repositioned from 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' setting. This move cuts the fuel supply to the engines and is a step pilots usually take only when an aircraft is safely parked after a flight. The CVR recorded a query from one pilot to the other, asking why he performed the "cut-off." The second pilot responded that he had not touched them. The report has not yet assigned the voices to the pilots.

Spotlight on the Pilots

During the incident, the first officer was at the controls, and the captain was performing monitoring duties. The two pilots were Mumbai-based and had come to Ahmedabad the day prior, which meant they were well-rested. The initial report states they both cleared breathalyser checks before the flight and were medically approved to operate the aircraft. This fact makes the flight deck events even more mystifying for the inquiry team. No indication of incapacitation or a departure from standard procedures was noted before the abrupt power interruption, creating an information void that only a complete CVR transcript might eventually resolve.

Anatomy of the Switches

On a Boeing 787, the fuel cut-off controls are not basic switches. Positioned on the central console separating the pilots, they sit behind protective guards to stop accidental contact. Crucially, they incorporate a "lever-lock" feature, a design that has been reliable for many decades. To shift a switch from the 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' setting, a pilot has to deliberately lift the switch's lever over a gate before repositioning it. An aviation specialist noted this design makes it nearly unfeasible to shift both controls with an accidental, single-hand motion, pointing towards a conscious action being necessary.

A Matter of Intent

The deliberate design of the switches has prompted investigators to explore the motive for the action. Shawn Pruchnicki, an expert in aviation at Ohio State University, questioned whether it was a deliberate act or a product of confusion. He observed that confusion appears improbable since the crew had not flagged any other crisis or non-normal situation. While pilots under stress during emergencies can choose the wrong options, the CVR evidence so far does not support that kind of scenario. The absence of any prior talk about engine trouble makes the sudden halt of fuel to both engines extremely puzzling.

Image Credit - BBC

Examining a Previous Alert

A detail from 2018 is also under examination by investigators. That year, in December, a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) was published by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The bulletin observed that on certain Boeing 737s, which employ a comparable switch mechanism, the locking element had been discovered in a disengaged state during servicing. An SAIB serves as an advisory and is not a compulsory directive like an Airworthiness Directive (AD). Consequently, Air India was not obligated to carry out the suggested checks on its fleet of 787s. This poses a vital question: could the switches on the lost plane have been defective, letting them move without the safety lock?

Responses from Boeing and the FAA

Following the preliminary report's release, the FAA and Boeing have acted to calm airline concerns. They sent private notifications affirming that the 787's fuel switch mechanism is safe and does not constitute a risk that would justify a mandatory Airworthiness Directive. Both organisations assert that the design boasts a long and dependable service record on numerous plane models. Nevertheless, some carriers, such as Etihad Airways, have independently circulated bulletins to their flight crews advising additional vigilance and have initiated engineering evaluations of the fuel switches on their 787s as a safety-first step.

The Electronic Specter

Another possibility has been raised by Capt. Kishore Chinta, a one-time investigator for India's AAIB. He wondered if a failure in the aircraft’s electronic control unit could have activated the fuel cutoff without direct physical manipulation by the pilots. The Boeing 787 is a very advanced fly-by-wire plane, in which electronic inputs direct many of its functions. If an incorrect electronic command could shut the fuel valves, it would indicate a grave and formerly undiscovered weakness in the plane's architecture, redirecting the investigation's focus from pilot error to a potential system malfunction.

Deployment of a Backup System

A vital piece of physical proof taken from the wreckage was the Ram Air Turbine of the aircraft, also called the RAT. Investigators verified the RAT was deployed. This small propeller, usually housed inside the fuselage, drops into the airstream automatically if there is a twin engine failure or a significant electrical system collapse. The RAT rotates with the wind to provide emergency power to critical flight instruments and controls. Its activation serves as a definite and clear sign for investigators that the plane experienced a total failure of its main power systems.

Final Desperate Moments

The CVR shows that following the first exchange, the flight crew tried to salvage the situation. The fuel controls were returned to the 'RUN' setting, an action meant to start an automatic engine restart process. Evidence suggests the left engine started to recover thrust first. However, while the right engine had also restarted, it failed to spin up sufficiently to generate useful power before the plane hit the ground. The aircraft was flying too low, and the situation developed too rapidly. With inadequate altitude and thrust, the crew's frantic efforts to save the plane were ultimately futile.

The Landing Gear's Position

Another confusing point for the inquiry is the discovery of the aircraft's landing gear in the "down" state. A pilot who flies the Boeing 787 noted that the retraction of the undercarriage is typically finished as the plane passes 400 feet, a sequence lasting only around eight seconds. For Flight 171, the complete failure happened so quickly after leaving the ground that the flight crew probably did not have a chance to think about retracting the gear. Their attention would have been wholly fixed on the power loss and the immediate, frightening effort to maintain flight and find a safe landing spot.

Renewed Calls for Cockpit Video

This event has revived a persistent debate within the aviation world: the requirement to install cockpit video recorders. The NTSB has championed crash-proof image recorders in commercial planes for more than ten years. They contend that video proof would have been priceless in recent accidents, offering indisputable evidence of crew activities. For Flight 171, a camera providing a view over the shoulder would immediately reveal which pilot’s hand manipulated the fuel controls, or if they shifted without any human intervention. This would remove all doubt and greatly speed up the inquiry.

Image Credit - BBC

Privacy vs. Safety Concerns

Pilot unions are the primary source of opposition to cockpit video systems, citing major privacy issues. They assert that the constant video recording of the flight deck is an invasion and that the footage could be abused. The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) has voiced fears that recordings could be leaked or used improperly, potentially damaging the careers and reputations of pilots. They insist that the current flight data and voice recorders offer adequate information for probes, a stance that incidents like the Ahmedabad crash put into question. The argument sets the privacy of individuals against the public's right to know.

The Investigation's Path Forward

The initial report marks just the beginning of a lengthy and painstaking procedure. Investigators are now required to perform a comprehensive analysis of the flight data recorder and produce a full, time-stamped transcript of the CVR. A critical next stage is the identification of the two pilots' voices. Typically, individuals acquainted with the pilots, like relatives or workmates, are enlisted to help assign statements to the correct voices. Every sound captured on the flight deck will be closely examined for hints that could illuminate the chain of events. A final report is not anticipated for many months, perhaps even more than a year.

What the Wreckage Reveals

A methodical inspection of the engines and flight control hardware is in progress. The pair of GE GEnx-1B engines have been taken to a secure facility for disassembly and review by specialists from Boeing, General Electric, and the AAIB. Electronic diagnostics and metallurgical examinations will be used to look for any evidence of prior defects or mechanical faults. While a mechanical issue has been provisionally dismissed, all components of interest will undergo rigorous examination. Investigators plan to build a complete history of the aircraft's maintenance, searching for any pertinent patterns or irregularities.

A Community's Grief

For the victims' families, the wait for answers is a torment. Imtiyaz Ali, who lost four relatives in the incident, conveyed his letdown with the initial conclusions. He characterized the report as being like a "product description" and observed that, apart from the pilots' short exchange, it did little to clarify the disaster's cause. The families and the general public are left to mourn amid uncertainty. They are hopeful the final report, when it eventually comes out, will bring the sense of resolution that can only be found by understanding precisely what transpired in the last seconds of Flight 171.

The Quest for Truth

The downing of Air India Flight 171 serves as a powerful illustration of the intricacies of contemporary aviation. The key puzzle—the reason the fuel supply to both engines was severed just after takeoff—is still unsolved. The probe has become a systematic quest for the truth, weighing human elements, mechanical possibilities, and potential electronic glitches. Whether the ultimate explanation is a conscious human act, a moment of deep confusion, or an undiscovered technical defect, discovering it is imperative. The security of countless air passengers globally relies on grasping and learning from this tragic occurrence.