←back to thread

Preliminary report into Air India crash released

(www.bbc.co.uk)
406 points cjr | 1 comments | 11 Jul 25 20:23 UTC | HN request time: 0.208s | source
Show context
decimalenough ◴[11 Jul 25 21:24 UTC] No.44536914[source]▶
> The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.

So the fuel supply was cut off intentionally. The switches in question are also built so they cannot be triggered accidentally, they need to be unlocked first by pulling them out.

> In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.

And both pilots deny doing it.

It's difficult to conclude anything other than murder-suicide.

replies(25): >>44536947 #>>44536950 #>>44536951 #>>44536962 #>>44536979 #>>44537027 #>>44537520 #>>44537554 #>>44538264 #>>44538281 #>>44538337 #>>44538692 #>>44538779 #>>44538814 #>>44538840 #>>44539178 #>>44539475 #>>44539507 #>>44539508 #>>44539530 #>>44539532 #>>44539749 #>>44539950 #>>44540178 #>>44541039 #
ummonk ◴[11 Jul 25 21:34 UTC] No.44536979[source]▶
Yeah and the other pilot flipped the switches back on and one of the engines started spooling up but it was too late.

Murder-suicide looks like the likely conclusion, given that flipping the cutoff switches requires a very deliberate action. That said, it's not entirely impossible that due to stress or fatigue the pilot had some kind of mental lapse and post-flight muscle memory (of shutting off the engines) kicked in when the aircraft lifted off.

replies(2): >>44537337 #>>44541173 #
gosub100 ◴[12 Jul 25 11:12 UTC] No.44541173[source]▶
> Murder-suicide looks like the likely conclusion

But why cutoff the fuel instead of flying into terrain? It's such a passive action

replies(2): >>44541340 #>>44542848 #
1. lotsofpulp ◴[12 Jul 25 11:41 UTC] No.44541340[source]▶
I imagine it would be more difficult to fly into terrain without a cooperative co pilot than cutting the fuel just after take off.