A month after the devastating Air India AI 171 plane crash in Gujarat, which claimed all but one of the lives of the people onboard, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) published a report with its preliminary investigation into why it happened.
The report carried detailed information about the flight, its maintenance, the pilots, their track record, and specifics about weight and weather conditions, but also had some issues, as Captain Mohan Ranganathan, an aviation safety expert, told The Quint.
Despite the report carrying some clearly stated information, social media users shared a variety of claims and statements related to the fatal crash. Team WebQoof tracked the conversation around the report to debunk falsehoods and misleading narratives.
Here’s what we saw and what we know and found so far.
CLAIM: Pilots caused the crash
One widely shared Facebook post claimed, “Investigations From Air India Crash Reveal It Was Caused By Co-Pilot, Who Cut-Offed The Two Engines Fuel Switch Immediately after Takeoff (sic)”
The 15-page report published by AAIB DOES NOT clearly place responsibility of the crash on any party.
It notes that seconds after taking off, the plane’s fuel cutoff switches for both engines went into ‘CUTOFF’ mode within a second of the other, depriving them of fuel (UTC 08:08:42). It adds the conversation between both pilots, mentioning that one had asked the other why he had cut it off, to which the pilot said that he did not.
The switches were then put back into ‘RUN’ mode, allowing fuel supply to the engines. However, shortly after that happened, the pilots sent a MAYDAY call to the ATC (UTC 08:09:05).
Subsequent reports published in the American news organisation Wall Street Journal pointed to a possible link to the pilot; however, the report also didn't place any clear accusation.
CLAIM: Pilot reached for Emergency level three seconds before impact
Another post about the crash says, "THIS JUST IN: Co-pilot of Air India 171 reached for the emergency lever 3 seconds before impact — but what stopped him?"
This claim, too, is not supported by any official findings.
Apart from noting the exact timings for take off, fuel switch changes, the mayday call, the report clearly notes that the fuel switches had been set to ‘RUN’ mode again. After being set to ‘RUN’, both engines’ full authority digital engine control (FADEC) "automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction.”
It adds that while Engine 1 managed to recover, the second one kept trying to do so. The plane’s Enhanced Air Flight Recorder (EAFR) stopped recording shortly after this, just after the pilots made the MAYDAY call.
CLAIM: Voice recording reveals terrifying screams of 241 passengers
This claim is completely false, as neither Air India or AAIB have made any recordings or transcripts from any recorder on board public.
The claim itself is incomplete, as it does not share any audio file with it in the post.
The only official communication from any of the involved parties are the preliminary investigation report and an official statement by Air India, which do not disclose any media files.
CLAIM: Christian co-pilot caused the crash
The plane was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-captain Clive Kunder. While the former’s religious identity is unclear, Kunder belonged to the Christian community.
In the wake of the tragedy and after the report was released, a section of social media attempted to paint the confusion in the cockpit in a communal colour.
For instance, this user claimed that it was Kunder who set the fuel switches to ‘CUTOFF’ mode and not Sabharwal.
“So it was not the Hindu Sumeet Sabharwal but the Christian Clive Kunder who committed the blunder… Hindus can never commit such an act!! (sic),” one such post reads.
Another claim along these lines makes a reference to Kunder’s religion, saying, “the European colonists left them behind. The Christian copilot of the AI17- who turned the fuel switch off?”
Another narrative on social media also assumes that the crash was an orchestrated suicide by one or both of the pilots, as seen in this thread speaking about deliberate actions by pilots, which also referred to Kunder as a "devout Christian."
It is pertinent to note that we have already established that the report does not place responsibility of the crash on any single party.
Not only are these claims entirely misleading, but they also attempt to build a false narrative during a time when there is an information gap about a tragic incident.
The exchange between the pilots is outlined in the report, which says that one asked the other, “why did you cut off," while the other responds that he did not.
No where in the 15 page report does it specify who asked the question and who responded, making this narrative against Kunder a harmful and false one.
This theory has prompted an investigation into the pilots' medical records and mental health history
Pilots' bodies respond
Both The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) as well as the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) issued statements about the preliminary reports’ findings, highlighting flaws or gaps in the published document.
The IFALPA cautioned the media and social media users “against hasty conclusions,” adding that it did not provide any answers and “any extrapolation of its content can only be regarded as guesswork.”
Similarly, ALPA noted several flaws in the way that the report was “leaked” to the media and the statements in the report itself.
It said that the report had mentioned a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIB) issued for Boeing’s fuel switches in 2018, while questioning whether the recommendations from the bulletin were implemented in the crashed flight.
Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar spoke to The Quint, discussing the issues with the investigation and how the report raised more questions than it answered.
With widespread internet connectivity, information gaps, and even Artificial Intelligence, the layperson has become increasingly susceptible to mis- and disinformation.
How can you equip yourself to stay safe from it? Watch our video to know more.
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