Air India Crash: Investigators Reveal Engines Lost Power Seconds After Takeoff

TDT | Manama

Email : ashen@newsofbahrain.com

Investigators have shared new details about the crash of Air India Flight 171, which killed 260 people last month. The plane was in the air for less than 40 seconds before it went down in a crowded neighbourhood in Ahmedabad.

According to a new report, both engines lost power just after takeoff because the fuel switches were suddenly moved to the “cut-off” position. This cut off fuel to the engines. Normally, pilots only move these switches after landing.

The cockpit voice recording captured one pilot asking the other, “Why did you do the cut-off?” The reply was, “I didn’t.” It’s still unclear which pilot said what. At the time, the co-pilot was flying the plane, and the captain was watching the controls.

The pilots quickly turned the switches back to normal, and the engines started to restart automatically. But the plane didn’t have enough time. One engine was starting to gain power again, while the other hadn’t fully recovered when the plane crashed.

The plane had climbed to 625 feet before it lost contact with air traffic control. Weather conditions were clear, and everything seemed normal at first.

Experts from India, the US, the UK, Boeing, and General Electric are all helping with the investigation. They are now trying to understand how the switches were moved, since they have special safety features to prevent this kind of mistake. The switches must be pulled up before they can be flipped, and they are protected by guard brackets.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated, but this new finding has raised serious questions about what happened in those final moments.