New Delhi: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US that is participating in the investigation into the crash of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner at Ahmedabad on June 12, has warned against too much speculation regarding the cause behind the accident, on the basis of the preliminary report published by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy issued a statement on Saturday, saying that recent media reports are premature and lack proper investigative context. This clearly indicates that there is no basis in reports suggesting that a pilot may have manipulated the fuel flow switches before the crash.
AAIB had, on Thursday, criticised The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for ‘unverified and selective reporting’ regarding the role of a pilot in a crash that killed 260 people.
In its statement, the AAIB had said it was premature to conclude and added that the investigation into the plane crash is still underway. The bureau noted that its preliminary findings are meant only to outline what happened and urged restraint until the final report is released.
The WSJ, citing an assessment by US officials, reported that black box recordings suggest Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (56), turned off the fuel control switches just seconds after Air India Flight 171 took off from Ahmedabad.
Homendy has supported this move by AAIB and indicated that the Indian agency remains the lead investigative body.
“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time,” Homendy posted on X.
“We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB,” she added.
The preliminary report by AAIB has not indicted anybody. It has simply stated that the fuel control switches had turned to the ‘Cut Off’ mode immediately after take-off. There is nothing in the report that suggests that a pilot was involved.
