No mechanical, maintenance issues found in AI-171 flight, says Air India CEO

Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Monday said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AAIB preliminary report on the AI171 plane crash in Ahmedabad has not found mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines and urged people not to draw any premature conclusions before the investigation is completed reported news agency ANIAddressing Air Indias employees in a mail Campbell Wilson emphasised that the report did not identify the cause nor make any recommendations for the June 12 crash of Air Indias Boeing 7878 plane crash in which 260 people were killedHe further said that Air India will continue to cooperate with the AAIB for a thorough and comprehensive enquiryI suggest we note that the Preliminary Report found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the takeoff roll The pilots had passed their mandatory preflight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status Wilson said in the mail reported ANIThe Preliminary Report identified no cause nor made any recommendations so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over We will continue to cooperate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry the Air India CEO said reported ANIWilson also emphasised that every Air Indias Boeing 787 aircraft has been checked and was found fit for service He further added that airlines will continue to perform all necessary checksI would also remind that out of an abundance of caution and under the oversight of the DGCA every Boeing 787 aircraft operating in our fleet was checked within days of the accident and all were found fit for service We continue to perform all necessary checks as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest Air India CEO said reported ANICampbell Wilson advised his employees to remain focused amid the speculations and sensational headlines that came after the reportUntil a final report or cause is tabled there will no doubt be new rounds of speculation and more sensational headlines We must nevertheless remain focused on our task and be true to the values that have powered Air Indias transformation journey over the past three years integrity excellence customer focus innovation and teamwork Let us not be diverted from what are our top priorities standing by the bereaved and those injured working together as a team and delivering a safe and reliable air travel experience to our customers around the world he said reported ANIThe AAIBs Preliminary Report released on Friday said that both the engines of the aircraft were moved from run to cutoff in quick succession which resulted in the fuel supply being cut off The report says that in the cockpit voice recording one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he did the cutoff which the other pilot denied ever doing soThe aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 080842 UTC and immediately thereafter the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their takeoff values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off the preliminary report said reported ANIIn the cockpit voice recording one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off The other pilot responded that he did not do so the report added reported ANIAs per the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder EAFR accessed by the AAIB engine 1s fuel cut switch transitioned from cutoff to run at about 80852 UTC Coordinated Universal Time On 80856 UTC Engine 2s fuel switch also went from cutoff to runThe AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 7878 aircraft in Ahmedabad Gujarat killed 260 people including 229 passengers 12 crew members and 19 people on the groundWith inputs from ANI