Air India pilots tried to relight engines before crash: Ex-aviation minister
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Air India pilots tried to relight engines before crash: Ex-aviation minister
Preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report on the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 were released. Former Civil Aviation Minister and Standing Committee member Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is also a trained pilot, said that both pilots attempted to relight the engines, but there was no time left. Rudy said that the aircraft was fit to fly and had no reported engine defects. He added that further investigation is needed to establish what led to the twin engine flameout.
Rudy said that the aircraft was fit to fly and had no reported engine defects. “Prima facie, the aircraft was airworthy. There were no defects in the engines or other flight parameters. The AAIB report confirms that the aircraft took off normally.”
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“The jet fuel switches were in the correct position. Later, however, the pilots noticed a drop in engine power,” he added, speaking to reporters in Delhi.
The report details a critical sequence where both engines flamed out, prompting the pilots to attempt a relight procedure. Rudy said that Captain Sabharwal and the co-pilot made a final attempt to revive the engines by bringing the fuel switches back to “RUN”.
“They relied on their experience and tried to relight the engines. The process began with Engine 1, but Engine 2 faced delays. Unfortunately, the aircraft was flying too low for the automatic FADEC system to kick in,” he said.
He added that if the incident had occurred at an altitude of 10,000 feet or higher, the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system would likely have restarted both engines.
“At that low height, there was hardly any time left. The construction around the airport also posed a concern, as the aircraft made impact even before the relighting attempt could complete,” Rudy noted.
He also pointed out that the monitoring pilot, Captain Sabharwal, may not have followed the relight procedure from the official memory checklist.
“The AAIB report shows both pilots attempted the relight, but there just wasn’t enough altitude or time,” he said, reiterating that further investigation is needed to establish what led to the twin engine flameout.
– Ends
Published By: Atul Mishra Published On: Jul 13, 2025
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