Two days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) initial probe report was released to the public, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson on Monday said it does not mention any cause of the July 12 Ahmedabad crash.
All mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed, he said in a message to Air India staff, urging people to avoid drawing premature conclusions amid the ongoing investigation. He emphasised that the preliminary report identified no “mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines” and did not make any recommendations.
“There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status,” he added.
Wilson mentioned that every Boeing 787 operating in the fleet was checked within days of the crash and found fit for service. “We will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry,” he said, in his message on the airline’s approach of “abundance of caution,” said the Air India CEO.
“We continue to perform all necessary checks, as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest,” he added.
On Saturday, the AAIB released its 15-page preliminary investigation report on the deadly Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad airport on June 12. The London-bound Boeing aircraft crashed soon after takeoff.
The report stated that both the fuel control switches were changed from the “RUN” to “CUTOFF” position just after lift-off, causing the aircraft to lose thrust. The report does not specify whether these switches were moved by either of the pilots to the CUTOFF mode.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cutoff fuel. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report provided quotes from the pilots confirming the switch transition.
