Investigators are looking into the actions made by a senior pilot moments before last month’s Air India crash, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Air India flight 171 dropped from the sky during takeoff on June 12, killing all but one passenger. The incident marked the first deadly crash and total hull loss for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
WSJ reported Thursday that investigative bodies probing the crash have honed in on a senior pilot in the cockpit who turned off fuel switches for both of the aircraft’s engines.
The report cited anonymous sources who claimed to have heard the black-box recording of the two pilots speaking before the incident. During that recording, the senior captain piloting the Dreamliner told his copilot he had moved switches to the “cutoff” position, which caused the other pilot to panic.
The Federal Aviation Administration ruled earlier this week that those switches were safe and functioning at the time when they were turned off.The captain, Sumeet Sabbharwal, was a veteran industry pilot. His first officer, Clive Kunder, was in his early 30s, according to WSJ.
