Investigators are focusing on the actions of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal in the deadly Air India plane crash that killed 260 people, including those on the ground. A black box recording reveals that moments before the crash, the captain remained calm while the first officer, Clive Kunder, panicked over a sudden loss of fuel supply to the engines.
The crash happened near Ahmedabad airport when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner slammed into a residential area and burst into flames. Only one of the 242 passengers on board survived. Nineteen more people on the ground also lost their lives.
Sources close to the U.S. side of the investigation claim the black box suggests it was Captain Sabharwal who turned off two key fuel switches. The switches were flipped off just one second apart and turned back on ten seconds later. These switches have a locking feature and can’t be turned off by accident — pilots must lift them before moving them.
At the time of the incident, First Officer Kunder was flying the plane, which meant Captain Sabharwal was supposed to monitor and support him. U.S. pilots reviewing the case believe the co-pilot would have been focused on keeping the aircraft stable, while the captain had time to make system changes.
A recording from the cockpit also reveals that one pilot questioned why the switches were turned off, while the other denied doing it. Investigators are now also looking into the captain’s mental health history amid reports that he may have had depression or other issues.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, but attention is shifting to whether human error — and possibly the captain’s condition — played a major role in the tragedy.
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