Air India Flight 171 Crash: Cockpit Recordings Indicate Fuel Cutoff, Reports Claim

Cockpit recordings from Air India Flight 171 suggest that the captain may have switched off fuel to the engines shortly before the crash, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. Citing unnamed American officials familiar with the investigation, the report claimed Captain Sumeet Sabharwal moved the fuel control switches to the “cutoff” position. The report further stated that First Officer Clive Kunder asked him why he made the move. Bloomberg also reported that Kunder questioned the action, reinforcing similar details about the exchange captured in the cockpit voice recorder.

AAIB Denounces ‘Selective’ Media Reporting

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) issued a strong response on Thursday, rejecting the media claims as “irresponsible reporting.” Without naming WSJ or Bloomberg, the AAIB criticized what it called repeated attempts to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. The bureau emphasized the need to respect the sensitivity of the incident, noting the trauma suffered by the families of deceased passengers, the flight crew, and ground victims. The AAIB maintained that its preliminary report does not assign blame but only outlines the factual sequence of events.

Preliminary Report Avoids Identifying Pilots’ Dialogue

The AAIB’s preliminary report, released last week, included a summary of cockpit communication but did not identify which pilot said what. The report mentioned that one pilot questioned the other over the switch movement, and the other denied performing the action. The bureau clarified that such preliminary findings are meant to share “what happened” rather than explore “why it happened.” AAIB added that a comprehensive root cause analysis will be included in the final report, for which no timeline has been provided.

CVR Transcript Withheld in Line With International Protocol

Responding to questions about the absence of a full transcript, AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar told Hindustan Times that transcripts are not released by any nation, adhering to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) guidelines. Only key excerpts deemed relevant will appear in the final report. An ICAO official, citing Rule 5.12 of Annex 13, confirmed that cockpit voice recordings are not to be publicly released unless justified for broader public or aviation safety.

Experts Urge Transparency to Uphold Confidence

Aviation experts have called for greater transparency amid growing public speculation. Mark Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting, stated that “unedited cockpit tapes need to be made public,” asserting that transparency would help counter misleading assumptions. CS Randhawa, President of the Federation of Indian Pilots, noted that the AAIB could have reduced speculation by including critical parts of the CVR transcript in its initial findings. He welcomed the AAIB’s recent statement advising against premature conclusions regarding pilot responsibilities.

Must Read: Test Fire Of Ballistic Missiles – Prithvi-II And Agni-1 Successful In Odisha