‘Probe Is Far From Over’: Air India Boss Campbell Wilson Urges Caution On Crash Findings

After a month since the harrowing air tragedy involving death of 260 Air India passengers onboard flight AI 171 on June 12, enroute from Ahemdabad to London, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its prelimary report on this accident on Saturday.

Responding to its finding on Monday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said no mechanical or maintenance faults with the aircraft or its engines was found. This comes after a month of speculations prevailed.

Air India Honcho Wilson's Mesaage To Airlines Staff

After the 15-page preliminary probe report shed light on the aviation tragedy in Indian skies, Wilson on Monday reportedly said the the 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 pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status," he said.

Further, he said maintaining a state of caution that each 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,” he said.

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Mainitaning a cooperative stance, he said, Air India will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they are able to  conduct a comprehensive enquiry.

The release of the preliminary report marked the point at which we, along with the world, began receiving additional details about what took place. Unsurprisingly, it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions,” Wilson said.

Over the past 30 days, he said there has been an ongoing cycle of theories, allegations, rumours and sensational headlines, many of which have later been disproven.

“Until a final report or cause is tabled, there will no doubt be new rounds of speculation and more sensational headlines... 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,” Wilson said.

Key Findings of AAIB preliminary report

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 12 released its preliminary report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard.

On the final minutes of the dreaded aircraft take off before it crashed into a nearby building, the report said the fuel supply to both engines of AI171 flight was cut off within a second of each other, causing confusion in the cockpit and the airplane plummeting back to the ground almost immediately after taking off.

Further, the report did leave room for speculation as it mentioned that one unidentified pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, which the other denied. However, the full transcript of the cockpit voice recorder was not included in the aforemetioned report.