Major Air India disaster update as experts close in on pilot verdict | World | News

Investigators probing the disastrous Air India crash in Ahmedabad have reportedly narrowed their focus on alleged pilot action in the final moments before the plane crashed from the sky in a deadly fireball, killing 260 people.

Sources close to the investigation say it is increasingly turning to the possibility that actions taken in the cockpit played a decisive role in the disaster that occurred shortly after takeoff on June 12 last year. Mechanical failure has been ruled out by experts, and there is still no evidence to suggest sabotage, Bloomberg reported. This suggests that the strongest remaining line of inquiry is pilot input.

The allegations, which sources describe as extremely sensitive and have not yet been made public, have intensified months of speculation about the accident. The initial investigative report found that the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were moved to the “cut-off” position immediately after takeoff, depriving the aircraft of power at a critical stage of the flight.

At the controls was veteran captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who has more than 15,000 flight hours, including more than 8,000 on the Dreamliner. The plane, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members on the flight to London Gatwick, failed to climb and crashed into a hostel for medical students near Ahmedabad, killing everyone on board except one passenger.

The narrative surrounding the tragedy has changed many times.

While the initial findings raised serious questions about the cockpit actions, an Indian court later came to the pilots’ defense, stating that “nobody could blame him for anything”, sparking renewed debate over liability.

The final report on the causes of the crash is scheduled to be published in June, a year after the disaster, but investigators are expected to release their conclusions sooner. Sun reported.

One of the final stages of the investigation was completed when officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau traveled to the United States in December to analyze cockpit voice recordings and flight data.

This analysis focused on determining whether the fuel control knobs had been moved intentionally. Investigators used special technology to isolate the distinctive sound made when the switches are activated, but sources said the task was complicated by intense background noise during takeoff.

The allegations against Captain Sabharwal were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials who claimed black box recordings captured a tense exchange in the cockpit shortly before the crash.

Sources familiar with the American investigation claim that it was Sabharwal who reached the keys after the plane took off from the runway and determined the plane’s fate.

His family vehemently opposed these allegations. The captain’s father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, 91, told investigators that his son was a highly skilled and disciplined pilot who regularly passed aviation exams.

He accused US officials of bias and called for an independent investigation to explore alternative explanations.

Harrowing CCTV footage shows the Dreamliner taking off at speeds on the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 1.38pm local time, appearing to lose power almost immediately and then plummeting back to the ground.

There were 53 British citizens among the dead. A British man survived after jumping from the burning wreckage and was filmed walking away from the crash scene in scenes described as miraculous.

Captain Sabharwal, who is just a few months away from retirement, was reportedly saddened by the death of his mother while he was taking care of his elderly father recently. Long considered stable and reliable, he is now at the center of one of the most controversial aviation investigations in recent history.

The final report is expected to put an end to months of speculation and provide definitive answers as to what caused one of India’s deadliest air disasters.