Air India Crash Probe Leans Toward Deliberate Pilot Action

[Sam480]

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-30/air-india-crash-probe-leans-toward-deliberate-pilot-action

 

India’s probe into last year’s Boeing Co. 787 jet crash is increasingly homing in on deliberate pilot action as the probable cause, according to people familiar with the findings, marking a concession by authorities previously resistant to that scenario.

Investigators have ruled out mechanical failure and not found evidence of sabotage either, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the findings aren’t yet public. This leaves pilot action as the strongest line of inquiry.

Regulation requires that a final report on the causes of the crash be issued by June — a year after the tragedy — and investigators plan to publish it ahead of that deadline, the people said. A trip to the US in December to analyze cockpit and flight data recordings marked one of the final stages of the investigation, they added.

 

The report’s definitive pronouncement on the cause is expected to draw a line under the June 12 tragedy, which saw the London-bound Dreamliner aircraft crash 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad. A preliminary report a month later concluded the engines shut down after fuel switches moved to the off position, but did not establish why or by whom.

 

The US trip by a team from India’s Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau was aimed at determining whether fuel switches were intentionally moved to cut-off position. The National Transportation Safety Board, which has the technology to analyze the distinctive sound these switches make when toggled manually, examined the recordings, though heavy cockpit noise during takeoff complicated the analysis, the people said.

 

 

 

[Sam480]

Although Indian investigators previously found no evidence that would warrant action against the Boeing aircraft or its GE Aerospace engines, a Wall Street Journal report earlier suggested authorities resisted findings that pointed to pilot culpability.

If the final report lays clear blame on the pilot, it will likely receive backlash in India where the flight commander’s father and a pilots’ federation have petitioned the Supreme Court to block investigators from looking into the pilot-fault angle and called instead for an independent probe.

A spokesperson for the NTSB referred any questions about the investigation to AAIB. Requests for comments sent to the AAIB, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation weren’t immediately answered.

[Sam480]

Recordings from the doomed flight AI171 had previously suggested confusion in the cockpit, with one pilot asking the other why he had cutoff fuel and the other denying it. The preliminary report did not identify which of the pilots asked the other about the fuel switch. The preliminary crash report withheld the cockpit transcript from the crucial 10 seconds before impact, suggesting Indian authorities’ reluctance to assign blame to the pilots until the final report is complete.

Read: Ten Lost Seconds: The Ominous Gap in the Air India Crash

‘Oh S — !’

The WSJ reported the captain remained calm while the first officer panicked, exclaiming “Oh s — !” in the final moments. The aircraft was under the control of First Officer Clive Kunder, with Captain Sumeet Sabharwal monitoring the flight.

The report also noted that Sabharwal did not pull back on the yoke in the final moments, while Kunder did so at the end.

The crash has weighed heavily on India’s aviation growth and passenger demand. Air India’s turnaround plan, which targeted operational profitability by the end of the current fiscal year, has been derailed, with the carrier now expected to post record losses for the year ending March 31, separate people familiar with the matter said earlier.

The mounting losses are now a concern for Air India’s owners, Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd. The Indian conglomerate has begun scouting for a new Chief Executive Officer to replace Campbell Wilson, though the search may not conclude until the crash report is released, people familiar with the matter said earlier.

 

[kevinUsa]

bochu em kadu its like issue with flight kani pilot error ani cheputaru 

elago pilor died kada 

[yemdoing]

not nammable, always follow the money.

aircraft lo problem ante, stock and product sales will be less. back channels tho always pilot ni blame chestharu. cockpit lo cameras pettandi ra ante pilot union oppose chesthundi. Again union ni influence chestharu aircraft companies ani talk.

comapny ikkada prabhuthvanni influence chesi akkada prabhuthvanni report favorable ga rayinsthundi. this is standard template.

 

 

[akkum_bakkum]

25 minutes ago, Sam480 said:

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-30/air-india-crash-probe-leans-toward-deliberate-pilot-action

 

India’s probe into last year’s Boeing Co. 787 jet crash is increasingly homing in on deliberate pilot action as the probable cause, according to people familiar with the findings, marking a concession by authorities previously resistant to that scenario.

Investigators have ruled out mechanical failure and not found evidence of sabotage either, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the findings aren’t yet public. This leaves pilot action as the strongest line of inquiry.

Regulation requires that a final report on the causes of the crash be issued by June — a year after the tragedy — and investigators plan to publish it ahead of that deadline, the people said. A trip to the US in December to analyze cockpit and flight data recordings marked one of the final stages of the investigation, they added.

 

The report’s definitive pronouncement on the cause is expected to draw a line under the June 12 tragedy, which saw the London-bound Dreamliner aircraft crash 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad. A preliminary report a month later concluded the engines shut down after fuel switches moved to the off position, but did not establish why or by whom.

 

The US trip by a team from India’s Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau was aimed at determining whether fuel switches were intentionally moved to cut-off position. The National Transportation Safety Board, which has the technology to analyze the distinctive sound these switches make when toggled manually, examined the recordings, though heavy cockpit noise during takeoff complicated the analysis, the people said.

 

 

 

Idi appude expected kada. Boeing ki edurelladamante sahasamane cheppali. I wonder if this also a point of discussion in trade talks.

[Sam480]

8 minutes ago, akkum_bakkum said:

Idi appude expected kada. Boeing ki edurelladamante sahasamane cheppali. I wonder if this also a point of discussion in trade talks.

https://investors.boeing.com/investors/news/press-release-details/2026/Air-India-Orders-30-Boeing-737-MAX-Jets-to-Expand-Single-Aisle-Fleet/default.aspx

Air India Orders 30 Boeing 737 MAX Jets to Expand Single-Aisle Fleet

[CADNMALODU]

1 hour ago, Sam480 said:

Recordings from the doomed flight AI171 had previously suggested confusion in the cockpit, with one pilot asking the other why he had cutoff fuel and the other denying it. The preliminary report did not identify which of the pilots asked the other about the fuel switch. The preliminary crash report withheld the cockpit transcript from the crucial 10 seconds before impact, suggesting Indian authorities’ reluctance to assign blame to the pilots until the final report is complete.

Read: Ten Lost Seconds: The Ominous Gap in the Air India Crash

‘Oh S — !’

The WSJ reported the captain remained calm while the first officer panicked, exclaiming “Oh s — !” in the final moments. The aircraft was under the control of First Officer Clive Kunder, with Captain Sumeet Sabharwal monitoring the flight.

The report also noted that Sabharwal did not pull back on the yoke in the final moments, while Kunder did so at the end.

The crash has weighed heavily on India’s aviation growth and passenger demand. Air India’s turnaround plan, which targeted operational profitability by the end of the current fiscal year, has been derailed, with the carrier now expected to post record losses for the year ending March 31, separate people familiar with the matter said earlier.

The mounting losses are now a concern for Air India’s owners, Tata Group and Singapore Airlines Ltd. The Indian conglomerate has begun scouting for a new Chief Executive Officer to replace Campbell Wilson, though the search may not conclude until the crash report is released, people familiar with the matter said earlier.

 

It's done by Turkey.