"Don’t jump to conclusions": Aviation Minister on Air India crash report

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 12, 2025: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s report on the Ahmedabad-London Air India plane crash last month is based on preliminary findings and one should not jump into conclusions till the final report is released, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday.

"I don’t think we should jump into any conclusions over this. I believe we have the most wonderful workforce of pilots and crew in the whole world. I have to appreciate all the efforts the pilots and crew of the country are putting, they are the backbone of civil aviation. They are the primary resource of civil aviation. We care for the welfare and well-being of the pilots also. So let us not jump into any conclusions at this stage and wait for the final report," he told reporters. 

"There are technicalities involved. It will be very premature to comment on the report. The preliminary has come in but we have to wait for something concrete to come in," he added. 

Mr Naidu’s remarks came hours after the AAIB released its preliminary probe report that indicated a possible fuel switch as the reason behind the crash that was one of the deadliest in recent times.

In its first investigation report, the AAIB said both switches feeding fuel to the two engines of London-bound Air India flight 171 were cut off followed by pilot confusion, before the aircraft crashed seconds after taking off on June 12. 

It said that one pilot asked why he had shut off the fuel, and the other responded he didn’t do it.

"The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 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 report said.

As per the report, the engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.

"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," it said.

Justice has to be meted to the families of the victims, Mr Naidu said. "The ministry is trying to assist in whatever possible ways it can." 

He also lauded the efforts of the AAIB in handling the "challenging task". "For the first time, safely securing the black box and trying to decode the data, everything is being done in India itself... so I’d like to appreciate all the efforts that they have put in for holding a very transparent probe," he said. 

All global norms were followed during the course of the probe, he added. 

A black box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents. It comprises two devices - the CVR and the flight data recorder (FDR).

Last month, Minister of State (MoS) For Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol dismissed reports that the black box will be sent abroad for scrutiny. "It will not go anywhere. It is in AAIB’s custody and there is no need to send it outside. We will do the entire investigation," he said.

The plane crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Meghaninagar area before going up in flames. Only one of the 242 passengers and crew members onboard survived the accident. The remaining victims were from those in the college and around the premises. Nine students and their relatives from the institute were among those who were killed in the accident on the ground.

In the report of the fatal accident, AAIB also said fuel samples taken from bowsers and tanks used to refuel the aircraft were tested at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation laboratory and were found satisfactory.

Courtesy: NDTV