Investigators consider possibility of Air India pilot deliberately crashing flight

Indian accident investigators are probing the possibility of the Air India Flight 171 crash being a deliberate act after it emerged one of the pilots recently lost his mother.

The issue of the mental health of the pilots is now under scrutiny, as investigators try to unravel the reasons the aircraft suddenly lost thrust and crashed while taking off from India to London, UK.

The senior pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who boasted over 8,200 flying hours, was in command of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar on June 12, killing all 241 passengers and crew on board, and another  19 people on the ground.

Investigators have so far established that the two fuel switches in the cockpit were flipped off just after take-off.

The cockpit recorder captured the last moment conversation of one of the pilots querying the other why he turned off the fuel switches.

The recorder also captured the second pilot denying touching the switches.

Investigators believe the flipping of the switches was responsible for the loss of thrust, which led to the crash of the aircraft.

It was also established that the switches were flipped back on just before the crash, but it was too late for the engine to recover.

It is yet to be determined if the switches were flipped back on after the pilot changed his mind or as a way of confusing the investigators who would probe the crash.

After the crash, forensic investigators reported that the switches were in the RUN position after the crash.

Experts opined that the switches require deliberate action to operate and could not have been flipped accidentally because of safeguards.

The co-pilot, 28-year-old Clive Kunder, with over 3,400 flight hours, was believed to be behind the controls during takeoff while Captain Sabharwal was monitoring.

Aviation safety expert, Captain Mohan Ranganathan, has disclosed that several Air India pilots knew of Sabharwal’s mental health struggles.

They allegedly claimed that the pilot had previously taken medical leave and bereavement time following the recent death of his mother.

Sources at the airline, however, said the pilot passed all the necessary tests for him to return to duty before the accident.

A source within its parent company, Tata Group, told The Daily Telegraph that Sabharwal had not taken recent medical leave and had passed all necessary Class I psycho-physical medical evaluations.

Captain Ranganathan, however, insists that the fuel selectors are not easy to accidentally move.

“They must be lifted and pulled manually, and are further guarded to prevent accidental contact,” said.

Friends of the senior pilot in charge of the ill-fated flight described him as a “gentleman” and noted he was considering early retirement to care for his elderly father.

So far, the investigators are satisfied that the two pilots had completed rest periods prior to the flight and passed pre-flight alcohol testing.

They also certified that the aircraft had no hazardous cargo on board, was within weight limits, and fuel samples tested normal.

There was also no evidence of bird strikes or other external causes.