Plane Crash in India 🇮🇳 More than 200 People on Board
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TaraDeS — 9 months ago(July 02, 2025 06:55 AM)
15 Seconds between Mayday Call and Impact – Initial Probe hints at Cause of AI 171 Crash
A Mayday call is the most urgent distress signal used in aviation and maritime communication
to indicate a life-threatening emergency which requires immediate assistance.
Ahmedabad plane crash is considered one of the world’s worst in aviation history.
As the Air India flight, AI 171, started to lose altitude moments after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport and descended at a rate of 475 feet per minute shortly after reaching 625 feet, pilot
Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar issued a
"Mayday"
call to Air Traffic Control (ATC).
However, all the attempts by ATC to communicate with the cockpit went unanswered.
Now, new details have emerged and suggest why the communication was not established. There were only 15 seconds between the
"Mayday"
call and the moment of impact. This extremely short window meant ATC had just 15 seconds to respond, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the investigation.
Pilot’s Mayday Message
"Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,"
read Sabharwal’s last mayday message to ATC, who has over 8,200 hours of flying experience. A few seconds after this, the Air India plane crashed.
What is a Mayday call?
A Mayday call is the most urgent distress signal used in aviation and maritime communication to indicate a life-threatening emergency which requires immediate assistance.
"Mayday" comes from the French phrase m’aider, which translates in English to "help me".
It was coined in the early 1920s by Croydon Airport’s radio officer Frederick Stanley Mockford. The word was chosen because it was easy to understand and pronounce over radio communication. By 1927, Mayday was officially adopted as the international standard voice distress call, complementing the Morse code emergency signal
"SOS"
.
Initial Investigations into the Case
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is independently probing the crash, recreated the scene to better understand the possible reasons. For that, pilots used a flight simulator using the same conditions, such as landing gear being down and wing flaps pulled in. They found that these settings alone did not lead to a crash, the Bloomberg report further said.
This comes after the initial investigation into the case suggested a possible dual engine failure as the aircraft’s emergency power system, known as Ram Air Turbine (RAT), was activated by the pilots, Wall Street Journal reported citing investigators.
Since RAT was activated, it indicated that either the engine lost power or there was a complete electrical failure. While dual engine failures are extremely rare, investigators have not ruled out that possibility.
About the doomed Air India Flight
The crash, considered one of the world’s worst in aviation history, involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The CCTV footage of the incident went viral. It shows the flight taking off from Runway 23 and beginning to descend unexpectedly. The aircraft veered over a residential area before going out of
the scene. Moments later, a massive explosion was heard, and black smoke started billowing from
the crash site.
The aircraft lost contact just seconds into its 4,200-mile, ten-hour journey to London’s Gatwick Airport, flight tracking data from Flightradar indicated. 241 of the 242 people aboard Flight 171
have been declared dead. Among them was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
One British national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash. He described the scene as
"unimaginable"
, saying he saw bodies scattered around him. A video of him emerging from the crash site also went viral. He was seen telling the bystanders that a plane had crashed. The ambulance driver who took him to the hospital said that he tried to go back to the crash site to find his brother who was also flying with him to London.
https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/15-seconds-between-mayday-call-and-impact-initial-probe-hints-at-cause-of-ai-171-crash/3899870/
July 02, 2025
Nothing really new…yet.
I didn't know that about the origin of
"Mayday"
, that was interesting.
As already stated by Captain Steeeve (he corrected himself short after his first suspicion):
The two pilots didn't make any mistake!
Bad enough for those left behind that their loved ones are gone.
This ongoing discussion and suspicion is disgusting.
As said and I'll repeat it again and again if necessary:
Both pilots were heroes, they even sent
"Mayday"
with their certain death in sight.
-
TaraDeS — 9 months ago(July 02, 2025 09:06 PM)
And here the summary of the German engineer's platform.
Air India Crash – what do we really know?
Is sabotage possible?
Investigations into the AI-171 crash are ongoing.
And Air India is battling further incidents.
Air India under pressure: Flights are suspended and engine questions are raised.
Following the devastating crash of Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 274 people, Air India faces massive criticism. The official accident analysis is progressing slowly. [
Not really, see Captain Steeeve below.
] At the same time, evidence of technical deficiencies, internal malpractice —and possibly even sabotage— is mounting. New incidents are causing additional unrest. The situation becomes a test of endurance for the entire Indian aviation industry.
Between Facts, Rumours and Fakes
Even before the authorities made an official statement, alleged accident analyses flooded YouTube and social media – many of them with fictitious details, case numbers or alleged maintenance errors. The videos were often generated using artificial intelligence. It's difficult for outsiders to tell what's true and what isn't.
"This lack of communication created a vacuum that is, of course, immediately filled with speculation,"
airliners.de quoted an aviation expert. One particularly popular post claimed that moisture triggered a known electrical problem with the Boeing 787. Proof? There's no evidence yet.
Confirmed Info – What we know so far
Only two facts are confirmed: Shortly before impact, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was activated –
an emergency power system that automatically deploys in the event of a total power failure.
A bird strike was ruled out.
Hope rests on the two black boxes that were recovered after the crash. One was found on a roof, the second was found in the rubble three days later. According to authorities, both are fully readable.
What do the Black Boxes reveal?
The focus of the analysis is the so-called Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), which is used on the Boeing 787-8. Unlike older systems, it combines a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder in a single device. The Dreamliners carry two such units – one in the nose, one in the tail.
These units record over 2,000 different parameters: from speed, heading and altitude to engine data, cockpit conversations and the smallest acoustic signals. Even warning clicks or the opening of a cockpit door don't go unnoticed.
Analysis can take weeks – but provides an extremely detailed picture of the final seconds of the flight.
Thanks to an independent emergency power supply, the devices continue recording for up to 10 minutes even in the absence of power. Because AI-171 was in the air for less than a minute, the database is considered complete.
System Failure due to Power Outage?
The use of the Ram Air Turbine suggests a massive technical problem. The RAT generates power from airflow in an emergency – but is only sufficient for selected systems. It's typically only activated in the event of a double engine failure or a total failure of the onboard electrical system.
The Boeing 787 is considered a highly electrified aircraft. Many functions that were previously controlled hydraulically or pneumatically are now electronic. This increases efficiency – but also the susceptibility to failure. A central electrical failure could even have disabled both engines simultaneously. Whether this is the case here remains unclear.
Sabotage? Investigations in all Directions
Indian Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, stated that the AAIB also investigates the possibility of deliberate sabotage.
"It never happened before that both engines of an aircraft failed simultaneously immediately after takeoff,"
Mohol said. All scenarios are investigated
"from all angles"
.
New Incident shortly after the Crash
Just 38 hours after the AI-171 crash, another incident occurred – this time involving flight AI-187 from Delhi to Vienna. Shortly after takeoff the Boeing 777 (registration VT-ALJ) lost approximately 274 meters
in altitude. The crew received several warnings, including one about a stall and two
"do not sink"
alerts – indicating that the aircraft was close to the ground.
The pilots managed to stabilize the aircraft, the flight continued to Austria. Both crew members have since been suspended. Internal reports initially only mentioned a harmless
"stick shaker"
warning due to turbulence. When the flight data recorder was read, the additional alarms came to light.
The incident occurred during a thunderstorm – in the middle of the monsoon season. Whether the weather played a role remains to be seen. What is clear is that after the crash, Air India inspected not only all Boeing 787s, but also its Boeing 777 fleet. As a result, the flight schedule was reduced.
International Criticism and political Reluctance
The USA National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) supports the Indian AAIB in its assessment. But many experts complain about a lack of transparency. Jennif -
TaraDeS — 9 months ago(July 05, 2025 06:07 AM)
While we need to wait for the analysis results of the black box(es),
an article from May this year that shows who
Captain Steeeve
aka Steve Schreiber is.
I shortened the
DailyMail
a bit and corrected some details (e.g. date of video).
I'm a Pilot - here's why you should NEVER use the Pockets on the Back of Plane Seats
Steve Schreiber (63) from New Orleans USA, has 26 years of flying experience, including 11 as a captain.
He spent a total of 5,860 hours navigating the skies in 60 different aircrafts.
Steve Schreiber revealed the simple reason, passengers should avoid using the back pockets.
Also known by his pseudonym
Captain Steeeve
online, the former United States Navy officer often shares safety tips on all things flying to his Youtube channel @CaptainSteeeve, where he boasts over 440K subscribers. [
currently 714K
]
On March 24,2025 the seasoned pilot took to the video-sharing platform to warn passengers against using the
"black hole of despair"
when flying. In the clip, he explained that seat-back pockets are one of the easiest places to lose personal belongings during a flight. He jokingly described them as
"black holes of despair"
, where items such as phones, passports and wallets frequently disappear - often permanently.
"Stop putting personal items in the seat back pocket in front of you. If you want to lose it and never see it again, put it in that dark hole that is the seat back pocket in front of you."
The pilot explained that it's a common occurrence for many passengers to return the gate in a panic after realising they've left something valuable behind in the pocket. But by the time they notice, having the item returned can be nearly impossible.
"If the airplane is still at the gate, fingers crossed that somebody who cares can go out there and find the thing that you left in that seat back pocket."
He warned that the odds of retrieving the item
"diminishes with every minute that tickets by,"
especially once cleaning crews or new passengers board, which could be within minutes of the plane emptying. The pilot concluded by urging passengers to triple-check they have all of their belongings in their possession before disembarking.
It comes as
Captain Steeeve
recently shared one surprising skill that makes a good captain - and it has nothing to do with flying. In April, the seasoned pilot took to his Youtube channel to reveal the lesser-known skill required of a captain: the ability to build a strong repour with one's co-pilot. In the clip, the pilot first shared, he's not permitted to read whilst in the air, unless it's in relation to the aircraft itself or aviation as a whole.
Though he stressed the importance of paying attention to ensuring a safe and successful flight, he insisted another crucial skill boils down to how the conversation unfolds between him and his co-pilot. From finding out where one another is from, to warming stories about their families, to uncovering their interests and hobbies, Schreiber highlighted how a natural exchange between co-pilots is a key.
He recalled his first interview with his current airline.
"When I first got interviewed at my airline, they just talked to me for about 20 minutes in the interview. They didn't ask me much in the way of technical questions."
Though the captain was left
'scratching his head'
, it soon struck him that he was already considered a
'good fit'
by the hiring managers and that he was tested on his ability to hold a good conversation for a significant length of time.
"That's a big part of the job. You'd be surprised how many people can't hold a conversation for very long. I appreciate my co-pilots when we get into a good discussion about anything. It makes the flight go by a lot quicker."
Over 190 viewers [
currently 1,291
] were left intrigued in the comments, with many asking
follow-up questions about potential issues that could arise in the cockpit.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-14756787/pilot-reveals-never-use-pockets-plane-seats.html
May 28, 2025
It comforts me that I'm not the only fool, who lost something in this
"black hole of despair"
.
Top 10 Things You Should Never Do Before a Flight
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:12 #01 Don’t use the seatback pocket.
1:01 #02 Stop putting your phone in your back pocket.
1:36 #03 Don’t rely on airplane food for your kids.
2:25 #04 Don’t forget your meds.
3:15 #05 No alcohol + Ambien.
4:25 #06 Dress for an emergency.
5:36 #07 Relieve sinus pressure.
6:37 #08 Don’t fly sick.
7:43 #09 Don’t overstuff your backpack.
9:16 #10 Grab water before you board. -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 08, 2025 02:37 PM)
Preliminary Report submitted on Air India Boeing 787 Crash
The flap and slat configurations, runway usage and initial climb
appeared normal based on video and photographic evidence.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) submitted its preliminary findings on the crash of Air India (AI) flight AI171 to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, following the deadly incident on June 12, 2025. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick (LGW) from Ahmedabad (AMD), crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming 260 lives.
The initial report summarizes evidence collected during the early phase of the investigation and has been shared with relevant aviation and safety bodies. Officials say the cause is still under review, but key indicators point toward a possible systems failure shortly after takeoff.
AAIB submits Air India Crash Report
According to aviation safety experts and analysis reviewed by The New York Times, the aircraft —operating as AI171— performed standard procedures during its takeoff roll from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD). The flap and slat configurations, runway usage and initial climb appeared normal based on video and photographic evidence.
However, critical systems may have failed within seconds of liftoff. The landing gear did not retract as expected, and indicators suggest the emergency power generator engaged —an action that typically occurs only in case of significant electrical or hydraulic failure. Aviation analysts propose that the aircraft likely suffered a catastrophic loss of engine, electrical or hydraulic power mid-air, which led to the crash.
The AAIB’s preliminary report corroborates some of these early assessments, although it stops short of assigning a definitive cause pending further data analysis from flight recorders and component inspections.
Human Toll and International Casualties
The crash of AI171 is one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory. Of the 242 passengers and crew onboard, 241 were confirmed dead, alongside 19 casualties on the ground, bringing the total to 260 fatalities.
The Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Rakesh Joshi, confirmed that 254 bodies were identified using DNA analysis, and six were matched through facial recognition. All have been returned to their respective families.
The victims included 181 Indian nationals, 52 British citizens, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
….
….
https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/07/08/preliminary-report-submitted-on-air-india-boeing-787-crash/
July 08, 2025
Hmmm, nothing really new.
-
soapbox original gangster — 8 months ago(July 09, 2025 11:36 PM)
still 9 july here and ive come across a non-official speculation about the crash, and if this turns out true, then the co-pilot committed murder/suicide. the default assumption on the mayday call-last communication before fatal impact- was the captain as the " Captain" initiated the call. only a voice confirm can establish this. assume true therefore the copilot is responsible. if false, then the co-pilot made the final call, and the pilot committed the crime.
the air current publication claims to have received inside info from person(s) affiliated with the investigation: either Indian aviation, boeing, ntsb, faa. this information is focused on the engine control switches: taking them both out of run kills the engines almost instantly. and since the mayday stated " not enough (engine) thrust", this seems highly possible, if not outright the only plausible explaination. if only one switch changed, the plane was designed to continue, so therefore both switches needed to shift from run to off.
AND the switches required a two-step sequential movement: lift up, then pull down or up.
in this case, down. a mechanical interlock prevented any type of vibration or " gravity" assist in moving the switches out of the set position. This was a deliberate action. [ the link to the article===>>>
https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/ai171-investigation-fuel-control-switches/
( nuclear reactor coolant pumps have the same type of switch mentality: " pull to start/ push in to stop." there is no " errant" electrical pathway for which to activate/deactivate the circuit outside the solid, physical connecting of the switch to the control bus.)
support for this is that nothing from the FAA or ntsb or even from lord god Trump himself has instructed Boeing to make
ANY
changes to current 787 operating procedures. nothing has changed, which kinda means that all the flight systems worked as intended and a human action holds all responsibility.
just like the maylasian flight involved pilot/ co-pilot murder&suicide, same here. and there's zero method of pre-screening any flight crew members' mental states and keeping that person from getting on a flight and killing the plane for whatever mental impulse driving them to act. this is seriously scary
maybe holograpghic travel simulators are the future -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 10, 2025 01:06 AM)
soapbox original gangster July 10, 2025 01:36 AM
Member since October 31, 2021
still 9 july here and ive come across a non-official speculation about the crash, and if this turns out true, then the co-pilot committed murder/suicide. the default assumption on the mayday call-last communication before fatal impact- was the captain as the " Captain" initiated the call. only a voice confirm can establish this. assume true therefore the copilot is responsible. if false, then the co-pilot made the final call, and the pilot committed the crime.
the air current publication claims to have received inside info from person(s) affiliated with the investigation: either Indian aviation, boeing, ntsb, faa. this information is focused on the engine control switches: taking them both out of run kills the engines almost instantly. and since the mayday stated " not enough (engine) thrust", this seems highly possible, if not outright the only plausible explaination. if only one switch changed, the plane was designed to continue, so therefore both switches needed to shift from run to off. AND the switches required a two-step sequential movement: lift up, then pull down or up. in this case, down. a mechanical interlock prevented any type of vibration or " gravity" assist in moving the switches out of the set position. This was a deliberate action. [ the link to the article===>>>
https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/ai171-investigation-fuel-control-switches/
( nuclear reactor coolant pumps have the same type of switch mentality: " pull to start/ push in to stop." there is no " errant" electrical pathway for which to activate/deactivate the circuit outside the solid, physical connecting of the switch to the control bus.)
support for this is that nothing from the FAA or ntsb or even from lord god Trump himself has instructed Boeing to make ANY changes to current 787 operating procedures. nothing has changed, which kinda means that all the flight systems worked as intended and a human action holds all responsibility.
just like the maylasian flight involved pilot/ co-pilot murder&suicide, same here. and there's zero method of pre-screening any flight crew members' mental states and keeping that person from getting on a flight and killing the plane for whatever mental impulse driving them to act. this is seriously scary
maybe holograpghic travel simulators are the future
So the theory goes:
Pilot sent Mayday –> Co-Pilot is a proven saboteur.
Co-Pilot sent Mayday –> Pilot is a proven saboteur.
Sorry, I cannot follow that logic.
Perhaps the Mayday was just a disguise and both pilots are saboteurs?
Your link/article repeated the already suspected double engine failure.
And now speculates that this engine failure was caused by a pilot, who simply switched off both engines.
Well, everything is possible.
It's now July 10 (Thursday) here.
More details from the report are announced for Friday. -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 05:00 PM)
Preliminary Report into Air India crash submitted to Authorities - but may not be made public
A preliminary report into the doomed Air India Flight 171 that crashed moments after take off has been submitted to Indian authorities - but there is currently no obligation to make it public.
The report has been filed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and is based on the initial findings of the probe, marking 30 days since the crash.
Aviation experts stress the preliminary report would unlikely go into the causes of the crash but would indicate steps investigators are following, notable findings, the sequence of events and available evidence.
….
….
https://news.sky.com/story/preliminary-report-into-air-india-crash-submitted-to-authorities-but-may-not-be-made-public-13395327
July 11, 2025
Wow!
Many people around the globe waited for that report.
This will really heat up the conspiracy theories, including mine. -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 05:09 PM)
Mr Guy Mandude esq July 11, 2025 07:07 PM
Member since January 21, 2020
STOP BUMPING OLD TRADGEDIES MAKING ME THINKG IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN!!! I STRATED CRYING AND SCREAMING AND LOOKED LIKE AND IDIOT!! YOU DID THAT TO ME!!
Not the right place for jokes, Dane.
People really died, that wasn't a PS5 game. -
-- wot -- — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 05:26 PM)
I am a very emotional man Tara, very in-tune with my emotional roots. Chicks dig it. You have caused me to feel i need a trip t my emotional support dog who is currently moonlighting as a guide, so now i am sad and some poor blind **** is not getting home safely tonight, all because of you gypsy woman.
-
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 05:32 PM)
Mr Guy Mandude esq July 11, 2025 07:26 PM
Member since January 21, 2020
I am a very emotional man Tara, very in-tune with my emotional roots. Chicks dig it. You have caused me to feel i need a trip t my emotional support dog who is currently moonlighting as a guide, so now i am sad and some poor blind **** is not getting home safely tonight, all because of you gypsy woman.
Good for the
"c.u.n.t"
that she won't meet you. ☻ -
soapbox original gangster — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 08:19 PM)
as projected 2 days ago by those with insider tipoff about the flight data recorder info, the crash was deliberate and a murder+suicide by the co-pilot or the captain. every passenger gets screened and checked and acting " weird" for the sake of just being an oddball character will get your ass banned from flyiong. BUT what system is in place to detect when a pilot or a maintenance tech or any person who has access to the inside or outside of a plane is about to commit sabatoge? no system unless there's a AI supercomputer method to analyze body language, metabolics, and use abnormalities to refuse entry?
-
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 08:27 PM)
Moment, please.
I just read the preliminary report. It was released to public.
Not sure if WSJ (and with that Captain Steeeve) refer to pre-speculations or the actual report.
AAIB releases preliminary Report on Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/aaib-releases-preliminary-report-on-air-india-plane-crash-in-ahmedabad-report-101752263646478.html
July 12, 2025 01:45 (India is ahead of all of us) -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 11, 2025 09:17 PM)
Soooooo, I've read the article/report and watched your video with
Captain Steeeve
.
Yah, seems you were right…pilot suicide or pilot mistake.
Captain Steeeve rather talks about a pilot mistake out of personal stress, but doesn't exclude suicide either.
One detail speaks against suicide for me. According to the voice recorder, the pilot asked the co-pilot why he cut off the fuel, and the co-pilot replies:
"I didn't do that."
That short dialogue doesn't exclude suicide but appears very odd for a suicide scenario.
Then pilot mistake: Captain Steeeve explained that it's nearly impossible to cut off the fuel of both engines just by a little error. Even if they may've tried to restart the engines after they stopped (for whatever reason), according to Captain Steeeve there's no way that they wouldn't have put the fuel switches immediately back to
'run'
. So, we're back to suicide.
I don't know, maybe I'm just reluctant to accept a pilot mistake/suicide but something sounds wrong, something doesn't really fit. Perhaps I need to sleep over it, but this amazing survivor and his brother (who died in the crash) keep coming back in my thoughts. Well, that also doesn't make sense, because how would his brother have been able to get into the cockpit without both pilots seeing him…invisible magician?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. -
TaraDeS — 8 months ago(July 13, 2025 04:58 PM)
Unanswered Questions about Air India Crash after preliminary Report
The preliminary report said the plane's fuel switches were moved to the
'cut-off' position 'immediately' after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.
Wreckage of the plane pictured outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Saturday.
Families of the victims of the Air India crash demanded
"justice and answers"
after the report found the plane’s fuel switches were cut off. The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau was published on Friday, raising further questions about what happened before the crash.
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, killing 241 people on board. Another 19 people on the ground died and 67 were seriously injured.
As the probe continues, here are some of the unanswered questions about the crash.
Why were the Fuel Switches cut off?
The preliminary report said both of the plane's fuel switches moved to the "cut-off" position "immediately" after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine. The report reads:
"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."
The pilots were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience, and Clive Kunder, who had 3,000. The report did not specify who said what in this exchange. Kunder was flying the plane, and Sabharwal was monitoring.
The switches were then returned to their normal in-flight position [
"Run"
], which triggered an automatic engine relight and a thrust recovery procedure.
While the engines started to recover,
it was too late, and the plane crashed.
It raised questions about what happened with the switches. Prof. Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, said these are used at the end of every flight and in emergency scenarios such as a fire. They are designed so they cannot easily be accidentally turned off and pilots would generally run through a checklist before doing so, he told the Press Association. If the switch had been moved by a person, that would have been a
"very unusual thing to do"
at below 1,000 feet.
"It's not the point of flight where you try and call for your coffee, it's a period of flight where your focus is very, very clear and that first 1,000 feet, it's about keeping the airplane climbing and that's not about clicking switches."
The switches flipped a second apart, the report said, roughly the time it would take to shift one and then the other, US aviation expert John Nance told the Reuters news agency. Like Prof. Braithwaite, he said a pilot would never normally turn the switches off in flight, especially as the plane is starting to climb.
What was the Role of the Pilots?
Bhaval Shah, a family friend of Kinal Mistry (24) who died in the crash, told The Times:
"If these switches can't be turned off easily and if no software glitch could have been responsible, then it is deliberate, isn't it? Then it's sabotage or suicide."
But there has been pushback against this narrative given it was only a preliminary report. India's civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu told local news channels:
"We care for the welfare and the wellbeing of pilots so let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage, let us wait for the final report."
The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association, quoted in the Hindustan Times, also said on Sunday it is
"deeply disturbed by speculative narratives emerging in sections of the media and public discourse - particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide. Let us be unequivocally clear: there is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage."
What was said in the Cockpit?
As mentioned above, information about the pilots' exchange about the fuel switch being moved to the "cut-off" position is obscure. It is not known who said what. Furthermore, the preliminary report did not contain a transcript of the pilots' communications in the cockpit. This would have been captured by the cockpit voice recorder, which was recovered from the wreckage. Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US National Transportation Safety Board, said
"there's likely much more on the cockpit voice recorder than what's been shared"
.
It comes as families of the victims demand transparency.
Relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, said:
"Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth."
Akeel Nanabawa, Hannaa Vorajee and their 4-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa.
Ishan Baxi, cousin of sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, who were meant to be flying home after surprising their grandmother for her birthday, said he was
"not satisfied"
by the initial report.
"I just hope the final report brings full clarity on