Preliminary Report – News Analysis India

FIP Raises Concerns Over Ahmedabad Air Crash Investigation

News Analysis India — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has voiced “serious” concerns regarding the preliminary findings and public discussion surrounding the Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad. The FIP expressed dissatisfaction with the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation, objecting to the interpretation and public presentation of the preliminary report. FIP stated that the report, released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), lacked comprehensive data and appeared to selectively use paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to suggest pilot error and question the crew’s competence. The federation urged stakeholders to avoid disseminating partial narratives and making unfounded assumptions, emphasizing the need for a thorough, transparent, and data-driven investigation. The AAIB’s preliminary report indicated that both engines were moved to “cutoff,” resulting in fuel supply cut off. The report included a cockpit voice recording where a pilot questioned the other about the cutoff, which the other denied. The crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 in Ahmedabad resulted in 260 fatalities.

Air India Flight AI171 Tragedy: Preliminary Report Reveals Engine Failure and Harrowing Final Moments

News Analysis India — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India has released its preliminary report on the Air India flight AI171 crash, a Boeing 787-8, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. The accident resulted in the loss of 260 lives. The report details the critical events that transpired in the 90 seconds following takeoff, including the unexpected shutdown of both engines. Flight data indicates that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were inadvertently moved to the CUTOFF position within a second of each other. The pilots attempted to restart the engines, but the aircraft was unable to regain altitude, and a distress call was issued moments before the crash into residential buildings. The investigation is ongoing, with further analysis of cockpit recordings, engine components, and maintenance records.

Preliminary Report on Ahmedabad Air India Crash Submitted; ‘Golden Chassis’ Aids Black Box Data Recovery

News Analysis India — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has delivered its preliminary report on the AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and relevant authorities. The report is based on initial findings from the investigation into the Air India plane crash, which resulted in over 250 fatalities. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) was safely retrieved from the front black box, with its memory module successfully accessed and data downloaded at the AAIB Lab on June 25, 2025. A ‘golden chassis’ – an identical black box – was used to verify accurate data recovery. One black box was recovered from a building rooftop on June 13, and the other from debris on June 16. The investigation is being led by AAIB officials with technical support from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the United States. The NTSB is the official investigative agency for the aircraft’s design and manufacture. The Director General of AAIB is heading the probe, with an aviation medicine expert and an Air Traffic Control officer also involved. The NTSB team is currently in Delhi, collaborating closely with Indian authorities at the AAIB Lab. Boeing and GE officials are also present to assist with the technical process. Previously, AAIB sent black boxes to overseas decoding centers, but the AAIB Lab in Delhi is now fully equipped to decode both Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR).