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Topics: Air India, World News, Travel
Niamh Shackleton
The CEO of Air India has addressed a preliminary report into a plane crash that claimed the lives of 260 people last month.
The report, conducted by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, was made public in recent days and found that the fuel control switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had been flipped, which starved the engines of fuel.
According to the audio from the aircraft's black box, one of the pilots had asked the other why he had done the cutoff, to which the other denied that he had.
While the initial investigation implies that it could have been human error that caused the crash, further analysis is still needed.
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Air India's CEO Campbell Wilson has since responded to the report and seemingly urged airline employees to take the report with a pinch of salt.
In an internal email seen by the Wall Street Journal, Wilson said: "Over the past 30 days, we've seen an ongoing cycle of theories, allegations, rumours and sensational headlines, many of which have later been disproven."
Instead, Wilson wants staffers to focus on the fact that the report said that there were no problems with the fuel quality and no abnormality in the takeoff roll.
All mandatory maintenance tasks had been carried out, the report also said.
Wilson further noted that the two deceased pilots, Sumeet Sabharwa and Clive Kunder, had passed a mandatory breathalizer test before the flight.
"There were no observations pertaining to their medical status." the CEO added.
Wilson continued to say that the preliminary investigation has 'provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions'.
Elsewhere, an aviation expert has weighed in on the findings that have been published so far and explained why they believe the crash 'sounds deliberate'.
David Learmoun argued that it appears as if the engine cutoff was intentional, but also said that 'there are cases of pilots carrying out an incorrect action instead of what they should be doing'.
Learumoun further explained to Sky News that the pilots simply needed to retract the plane's undercarriage, but this action wasn't taken.
He added: "Was that it? These switches are nowhere near the undercarriage lever and look totally different. The fuel switches cannot be turned on or off by mistake. They have to be pulled out before selecting up (run) or down (cut off)."
A simulation from a YouTube channel called The Aviation Channel also showed how the switches operate. However, it's unclear when a more detailed report on the fatal crash is expected to be released.
UNILAD has contacted Air India for comment.