What led to Air India crash in Ahmedabad? Initial report likely today, may offer crucial insight

The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad

The preliminary report from the investigation into the June 12 Air India plane crash is likely to be made public on Friday, according to reports.

The London-bound flight crashed shortly after take-off from the Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing at least 275 people including 241 passengers and crew members and people on the ground. The plane's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) were recovered by June 16.

Reuters recently said the focus has narrowed to the position and movement of the engine fuel switches, based on data recovered from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, and simulations conducted by Boeing.

Meanwhile, a recent report by Wall Street Journal stated the investigation was focusing on the actions of the jet’s pilots and doesn’t so far point to a problem with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“The investigation into last month’s Air India crash is focusing on the actions of the jet’s pilots and doesn’t so far point to a problem with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to people familiar with U.S. officials’ early assessments,” the WSJ report published on July 10 stated.

According to Reuters, The crash investigation had narrowed its focus to the movement of the plane's fuel control switches, and also focused, at least partly, on engine thrust issues, Reuters reported last month.

Air India has faced intense scrutiny since the crash. Its chief executive, Campbell Wilson, appeared before the committee and the airline gave updates on its efforts after the crash, one of the sources said.

The EU Aviation Safety Agency has said it plans to investigate the company's budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported it did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.

India's aviation watchdog has also warned Air India for breaching rules for flying three Airbus planes with overdue checks on escape slides.

Fuel switch issue

Following an analysis of the Boeing 787’s flight and voice data recorders, Aviation industry publication Air Current reported on Tuesday that there may have been a possibility of improper movement of fuel control switches in the cockpit.

Engine fuel control switches in Dreamliner 787 (RUN and CUTOFF) are used on the ground for engine start or shutdown. The switches are located below the jet’s throttle levers and placed inside a fuel control module.

In the event of an engine fire, the fuel control switch for the affected engine would illuminate in red, providing a key visual cue to the crew, according to the report.

Sources told the Air Current that the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before the aircraft crashed.