Fresh controversy has erupted over the Air India crash that killed 260 people, including 19 on the ground, after a US media report claimed that the captain may have manually cut off fuel supply moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad. According to the Wall Street Journal, which reviewed cockpit audio recordings, the first officer appeared alarmed and questioned the captain’s actions, while the captain stayed composed. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) confirmed in its preliminary findings that both fuel cutoff switches were flipped to “off” within seconds of liftoff, with the plane crashing just 32 seconds later. However, the report does not clarify whether the switch-off was accidental or deliberate.
The claims have triggered widespread reactions, with India’s Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu urging the public not to jump to conclusions until the final report is released. He called for patience, stressing the competence and dedication of India’s aviation personnel. “It will be very premature to comment at this stage. Let’s wait for verified conclusions before assigning blame,” he said. Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) condemned the Wall Street Journal article, calling it speculative and “baseless.” FIP President CS Randhawa said the AIIB’s report does not mention pilot error and announced possible legal action against the publication for drawing conclusions that weren’t stated in the official document.
In response to safety concerns, Air India conducted precautionary checks across its entire fleet of Boeing 787-8 aircraft, focusing on the Fuel Control Switch (FCS) locking mechanisms. The airline reported no malfunctions and confirmed that Throttle Control Module (TCM) replacements had already been completed as per Boeing’s maintenance guidelines. While only one passenger survived the crash, the ongoing investigation has now become a global point of focus, raising sensitive questions about flight crew decisions, technical reliability, and media responsibility. Until the final AIIB report is published, speculation and rebuttals are likely to continue fueling debate across both aviation and public domains.
