'Something doesn’t add up!' Netizens question AI-171 crash probe report indicating pilot error

New Delhi: The social media was quick to question the preliminary findings in the Air India Flight AI-171 crash investigation, with users calling out what they see as premature conclusions and unfair blame on the pilots.

The report, released on Saturday, all but points to pilot action as having caused India’s worst aviation disaster in four decades.

“It’s shocking how news channels are pushing conspiracy theories against pilots,” wrote one user, while others pointed to the implausibility of cockpit controls being mishandled during a high-pressure moment.

“It took one second to move both fuel cut-off switches to ‘CUTOFF’, but four seconds to switch them back? Does that sound logical?” another post questioned. Others suggested it’s "easier to blame pilots" to settle insurance claims quickly.

Another user wrote, "Something doesn’t add up!! This is hard to believe!"

According to the 15-page report, fuel supply to both engines was cut within one second of each other during the initial climb, causing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to lose thrust and crash into a nearby medical college hostel.

According to the report, the flight lasted around 30 seconds between takeoff and crash. It said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another" within a second. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight.

The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane’s engines.

The switches were flipped back into the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent after the aircraft had begun to lose altitude.

“One of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY’,” the report said.

It also indicated confusion in the cockpit moments before the crash.

In the flight’s final moment, one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.

The preliminary report did not recommend any actions for Boeing, which said in a statement that it “stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”