The pilots' body have flagged the link between the fuel control switch movement and RAT deployment, suggesting the latter could have resulted from electrical fault or other existing issue.
It added that the RAT deployment may have occurred before fuel switch movement.
“While the report indicates RAT power generation approximately 4–5 seconds after fuel interruption, simulator testing reportedly indicates approximately 18 seconds.
What did the pilots' body say?
The letter from the pilots' body flagged several findings of the preliminary report and demanded further investigation.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) have flagged the preliminary report on Air India flight AI-171 crash and suggested that the deployment of Ram Air Turbine (RAT) may not be linked to the fuel interruption. The tail part of an Air India plane, B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed on the roof of a building, in Ahmedabad on Thursday. (Central Industrial Security Forc)
In a letter to the Director General, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, the pilots' body said the simulator testing on Boeing 787 does not support the timeline mentioned in the AAIB Preliminary Report, released a month after the crash. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a body under the the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is investigating the Ahmedabad-London flight crash, that killed 260 people.
The pilots' body have flagged the link between the fuel control switch movement and RAT deployment, suggesting the latter could have resulted from electrical fault or other existing issue. It added that the RAT deployment may have occurred before fuel switch movement.
The FIP said it received a letter from D Michael Andrews, Advocate, representing passengers and families affected by Air India Flight 171.
“While the report indicates RAT power generation approximately 4–5 seconds after fuel interruption, simulator testing reportedly indicates approximately 18 seconds. The letter therefore suggests that RAT deployment may have occurred before fuel control switch movement and may indicate an earlier system or electrical fault requiring further investigation,” the letter read.
What did the pilots' body say? The letter from the pilots' body flagged several findings of the preliminary report and demanded further investigation. Here are some of the points mentioned in the letter:
