Air India B787 crash Ahmedabad

[Quickstatus]

So the FDR might have been getting different information to the FADEC then.

The fuel cut off switches directly operate a relay which operates the valve which control fuel flow to the engine called a Spar valve without ever going via FADEC.

While FADEC can control the Spar valve (I think) , the important point to note is that the prelim report data came from the EAFR (787 combined FDR+CVR) which indicated the Fuel cut off switches were operated. Operation of The fuel cut of switches is directly recorded by EAFR and does not involve FADEC so any "FADEC glitch" could not have caused the recording of fuel cut off switch condition to OFF by the EAFR.

 

[Duffa]

The fuel cut off switches directly operate a relay which operates the valve which control fuel flow to the engine called a Spar valve without ever going via FADEC.

While FADEC can control the Spar valve (I think) , the important point to note is that the prelim report data came from the EAFR (787 combined FDR+CVR) which indicated the Fuel cut off switches were operated. Operation of The fuel cut of switches is directly recorded by EAFR and does not involve FADEC so any "FADEC glitch" could not have caused the recording of fuel cut off switch condition to OFF by the EAFR.

So a human hand switched them to "OFF" in the coughpit?

 

[jb747]

So a human hand switched them to "OFF" in the coughpit?

Very sadly, that appears to be the case.

 

[JohnM]

Have people seen this and have any comment?:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

I know it's derived from the Geoffrey Thomas site. Nevertheless, it seems to be an extremely precise analysis so could such an alignment of highly unlikely events be a plausible explanation?

 

[CaptJCool]

Had a vague recollection ? the taxiing activity was longer than normal due to a closed taxiway so there was a whole run sprint of much extra distance
From further vague recollection the weather had been rainy (water ingress was mentioned as well)

With situations of risk
Often there is a
Low likelihood AND High impact

just because the likelihood is Low doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen and when it does - well we saw the impact

 

[jenib]

I defer to far greater knowledge than mine about this tragic event and disquiet about YouTubers and their motives but wanted to point out that the very detailed Geoffrey Thomas YouTube analyses are proposing that the cause is not pilot action.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I defer to far greater knowledge than mine about this tragic event and disquiet about YouTubers and their motives but wanted to point out that the very detailed Geoffrey Thomas YouTube analyses are proposing that the cause is not pilot action.

I don’t understand ‘why’?

Why are these two people coming forward with this hypothesis? What’s the motive?

They state things as fact, yet they say those facts cannot be substantiated until we see things such as maintenance logs. Which may not be available until the authorised accident report comes out.

Sure, if the official report had come out and it looks like a cover up, there may be a place for further inquiry.

But we are a long way from that now.

If they are wanting regulators to mandate urgent checks of systems, they should come right out and say that at the beginning of their videos.

 

[jb747]

I consider both of these people extremely unreliable. GT hangs around the periphery of aviation like a bad smell. He is not an expert. The other bloke is behind a supposed method of tracking the missing Malaysian flight. The veracity of that method, and of the experiments behind it, is the subject of doubt.

Having said that though, I would prefer the outcome to be a Boeing or engineering screw up, as I find the intentional murder of a pilot's passengers to be disgusting (for lack of a stronger term).

 

[JohnM]

This is an interesting and highly detailed analysis:

 

[mjt57]

I consider both of these people extremely unreliable. GT hangs around the periphery of aviation like a bad smell. He is not an expert.

Hadn't heard of this guy before. Googled him. His Linkedin profile says that he's an aviation journo. Hmmm.

I wonder if he coined the dreaded "plunge" term when describing turbulance.

 

[jenib]

So

• people rightfully question credentials, motivations and approach of these people.
• some of these journalists and other 'analysts' question the validity of the interim report and that it appears to erroneously shift blame to the pilots.

If there is something 'odd' going on, it is the role of journalists to try to uncover the truth. People say everything should wait until the final report, but I doubt family members would be sanguine about what has been released to date.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So

• people rightfully question credentials, motivations and approach of these people.
• some of these journalists and other 'analysts' question the validity of the interim report and that it appears to erroneously shift blame to the pilots.

If there is something 'odd' going on, it is the role of journalists to try to uncover the truth. People say everything should wait until the final report, but I doubt family members would be sanguine about what has been released to date.

I didn’t have the same reading as you on the interim report.

I did not see and blame shifted to the pilots. Accident reports don’t typically assign ‘blame’, they state the facts. It is then for the courts to assign blame based on legal principles. India has an excellent legal system with many distinguished members of the judiciary.

The interim report is here: https://aaib.gov.in/Reports/2025/Accident/Preliminary Report VT-ANB.pdf, and details of the cut off and pilot communication on the issue is on page 14.

There is no apportioning of blame, only a factual account of one pilot asking the other ‘why he did that’.

Agree investigative journalism is very important when it comes to accountability. But without the facts, how can you investigate? You can’t.

These vlogs are just speculation. They may turn out to be right, but then what? They want some sort of recognition? To do what? Drive further commercial interests? Or are they interested in safety? If it is safety, why isnt the first thing on every vlog a demand for boeing, government and regulators to mandate relevant maintenance checks?

Family members have challenged accident reports after they have been finalised, as we saw for the United 747 cargo doors. That’s the time for investigative journalism.