New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Aviation safety expert Mark D Martin, Founder and CEO of an aviation consulting firm, on Saturday described the preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the Air India flight 171 crash as “cryptic” and raising several unanswered questions.
Speaking to ANI, Martin questioned key findings in the report, particularly around the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), which he noted is designed to engage only during an engine failure.
“It is the initial report, and it is quite cryptic in many ways. It says a lot of points that don’t add up. If there were an engine failure, that is only when the RAT deploys. When the RAT deploys, there is only one course to restart the engine,” Martin said, pointing to apparent inconsistencies in the sequence of events described.
He highlighted that incidents of fuel switches tripping into the “cutoff” position have been documented in the past. Martin also criticised a lack of industry-wide seriousness toward safety advisories issued by regulators.
“It has been reported in the past that the fuel switches have been tripped and gone back to the cutoff position several times. There is also an FAA AIB, a circular that has been announced. The sad part is that most MROs [Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul organisations] and maintenance companies in the world don’t take AIBs seriously. They take the seriousness to an Airworthiness Directive [AD] or a Service Bulletin [SB]. It could have been one of the reasons for this incident,” he explained.
Martin stressed that the investigation remains in its early stages and the full findings will take more time. “We are still in the initial stage of investigation and still have 90 days for the full investigation report to come out,” he added.
On Friday, the AAIB released its preliminary report into the June 12 tragedy, when Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The accident claimed 260 lives, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. According to the report, the aircraft suffered a catastrophic loss of thrust as both engines unexpectedly shut down within 90 seconds of takeoff, leading to a rapid, uncontrolled descent.
The full investigation report is expected in the coming months and is likely to provide greater clarity on the factors behind the devastating crash.
(ANI)
About The Author
