Air India crash probe ‘leans towards deliberate pilot action’ in fireball smash
A probe into the Indian air crash that killed 260 in a fireball last year, with a sole survivor walking away unharmed, is reportedly now looking closely at the doomed pilot’s final actions
Air Indian flight 171 plummeted to the ground just after take-off – and investigators think they now know why (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
An Indian air disaster that tragically took the lives of almost everyone onboard, along with medical students trapped in their hostel, might have a chilling explanation, according to anonymous reports from the probe still underway.
Rumours about the smash’s cause have swirled since the tragedy on June 12 last year. The disaster hit headlines worldwide with the miraculous escape of a single passenger who walked away unscathed.
But the investigation into the crash is now narrowing onto the action of one man, who may have deliberately and cold-heartedly chosen to sacrifice the lives of his entire crew and all his passengers.
Air India flight 171 smashed into the ground shortly after leaving the runway in Ahmedabad. On its way to Gatwick, the 787 Dreamliner instead crashed in a fireball that killed 260.
While the tragedy’s cause was initially a mystery, mechanical failure has now been ruled out by experts, while no evidence yet suggests sabotage, Bloomberg reports.
Pilot action now looms as the strongest line of inquiry, according to The Sun, although sources are staying anonymous as the investigation’s shocking findings have yet to be made public.
Sumeet Sabharwal, the 56-year-old at the plane’s controls, cut off the aircraft’s fuel control switches just moments after lift-off, according to initial reports.
An Indian court later decided that “nobody can blame him for anything”. But the final verdict on the crash, due in June but likely to come sooner, now looks poised to blame the pilot.
A trip to the US in December to analyse cockpit and flight data aimed to find out whether fuel switches were intentionally moved to cut-off position. Heavy noise during take-off made the analysis difficult but US officials reported a tense exchange in the cockpit, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Sources familiar with the American investigation said Sumeet reached for the fuel control switches after the Dreamliner climbed off the runway.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal, Sumeet’s 91-year-old dad, said his son was a highly skilled pilot who “regularly” passed his aviation exams and accused US officials of being “biased”. He called for an “independent” investigation.
Video of the doomed flight shows the plane take to the sky then stop climbing and plunge back to earth. The plane had 230 passengers and 12 crew onboard.
A British man miraculously survived the crash and was filmed walking away from the fiery wreckage.
Captain Sabharwal had over 15,000 flying hours, including over 8,000 on the Dreamliner, and was considered steady and reliable.
He was reportedly just months from retirement, mourning his mother and caring for his aged father.
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