NEW DELHI: Aviation safety consultant and former Boeing aircraft trainer Captain Mohan Ranganathan states that the findings of the inquiry report of the June 12 Dreamliner Air India crash made public on Saturday prove the accident to be a case of "deliberate human intervention.
"The preliminary report by the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB), an independent investigative unit. constituted by the Civil Aviation Ministry, reveal a conversation between the cockpit crew with one of them expressing shock over the fuel supply being cut-off to the engines and questioning the other.
The report states, "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."
Co-pilot Clive Kunder was flying the plane during take-off and he had 1,128 hours of flying. The highly experienced First Officer Captain Sumit Sabharwal, with 8,260 hours of flying was in the cockpit with him.
Capt Ranganathan states, "The fuel switch does not change automatically. It needs to be moved physically from one slot to another slot and can only be done as a deliberate action."
This switch to stop fuel supply is provided as an emergency measure so that pilots can salvage the situation in case of any major fire related, he explained. "This is a case of deliberate human intervention done. It was not accidental," he stressed.
The internationally renowned safety expert also called for a complete overhaul of the way airlines treat pilots. "They are treated like machines presently with very less time for family and other interests. This creates enormous stress among pilots. The flight time limitations for pilots need to be completely reworked upon now" he added
The Captain also charged the AAIB report was a "very badly done" one with just three out of 15 pages relevant to the cause of the incident. "The photographs released of the take-off released now ought to have been made public long ago. This would have avoided much speculation about the Boeing aircraft and the stress it caused to the passengers on air safety," he added.
Captain C S Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots Association, with 35 years of experience of flying fighter planes and Boeing aircraft, said the "report released is very, very intriguing."
For instance, it has not clarified whether the engine was running or not when the fuel switch went off. Completely defending the pilots in question, Randhawa said, "The report given is inconclusive. We need further information before any verdict is arrived at." The report does not mention if the co-pilot handed over the Controls to the First Officer during take-off, he added.
Regarding the fuel switch issue, Capt Randhawa said, "The Fuel Switch in question is operated on a Challenge-Response system. One pilot needs to talk and another responds to it. It is never done by a pilot in isolation. Also, it can never be accidentally done. It needs to be picked out and inserted elsewhere."
Moreover, the pilot is permitted to move the Fuel Switch only in the case of "a double engine flameout." Air India pilots are extremely well-trained on its operations, he stressed.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has hailed the report. In a statement, he said, "This is a preliminary report, at the ministry we are analysing it...We are coordinating with AAIB for any support they need. We are hoping that the final reports come out soon so that we can arrive at some conclusion..."
"I truly believe we have the most wonderful workforce in terms of pilots and the crew in the whole world have. Pilots and crew are the backbone of the aviation industry."