Appealing to all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report, AAIB said this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards the safety of Indian aviation industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts.”The purpose of the AAIB’s investigation and preliminary report is to provide information about ‘WHAT’ happened. The preliminary report has to be seen in this light. At this stage, it is too early to reach to any definite conclusions. The investigation by AAIB is still not complete. The final investigation report will come out with root causes and recommendations,” the statement said.AAIB also urged both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process.”It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on ground,” it said and added that the accident has been the most devastating accident in recent aviation history.The investigation is being undertaken in a rigorous and most professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols, the statement said.The statement comes against the backdrop of reports suggesting that pilot error led to the crash of the Air India plane on June 12. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after takeoff.According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight indicated that the captain turned off the switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s engines.The report cited people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the crash.The recording suggested that the first officer, who was flying the Boeing aircraft, opened the new tab 787 Dreamliner, and asked the other captain, who was more experienced, why he moved the switches to the “cutoff” position after it climbed off the runway, the report said.The first officer expressed surprise and then panicked, while the captain seemed to remain calm, Reuters reported, citing WSJ. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Boeing and Air India have not yet responded to the report.The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had a total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively.The preliminary report released last week by AAIB depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the June 12 crash and raised fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches, the report said.Responding to concerns raised about the preliminary probe report, AAIB asserted that it has a flawless record in investigating 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents since its inception in 2012.”Even now, apart from investigating in the ill-fated Air India’s B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB, several other accidents and serious incidents are under investigation,” the AAIB statement read. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, killed over 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.(With inputs from PTI)
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