New Delhi: In a startling and deeply troubling development, one of India's foremost aviation safety experts has publicly suggested that the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight 171 in June, which claimed 260 lives, may have been the result of deliberate human action within the cockpit, potentially even pilot suicide. Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a highly respected figure in Indian aviation, bases his explosive claim on a meticulous analysis of the sequence of fuel cutoff switch activations and disturbing cockpit audio recordings detailed in the preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The AAIB's preliminary findings, released just 24 hours before Captain Ranganathan's interview with ( Read Original @ NDTV, confirm the horrific sequence of events on June 12th. Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, took off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 IST carrying 242 souls. Merely 32 seconds later, thrust vanished from both engines. The massive aircraft plummeted, crashing into a medical hostel just 1.2 nautical miles from the runway end. Only one passenger miraculously survived. This tragedy marked the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its commercial debut in 2011.
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The Crucial Evidence: Manual Fuel Cutoff
At the heart of Captain Ranganathan's disturbing conclusion lies the AAIB's documentation of the fuel cutoff switches. The report states unequivocally that both fuel control switches for engines 1 and 2 were manually moved from the "RUN" to the "CUTOFF" position within one second of each other, precisely as the aircraft began its rotation for takeoff.
Captain Ranganathan, known for his technical precision, emphatically ruled out any accidental cause. "It has to be manually done," he stated. "It cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure because the fuel selectors are not the sliding type. They are designed to stay in a slot, and you have to pull them out to move them up or down. So, the possibility of inadvertently moving them to the 'off' position doesn't arise. It's definitely a case of deliberate manual selection to move it to 'off'." He stressed that the switches, located on the central pedestal and protected by a guard rail, require significant, intentional force to operate and are immune to turbulence, power failure, or software issues.
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Disturbing Cockpit Audio and Pilot Roles
Adding a chilling layer to the technical evidence, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) captured an exchange immediately after the engines failed. According to Captain Ranganathan, the transcript reveals one pilot asking, "Why did you do it?" to which the other responds, "I did not do it." Ranganathan expressed frustration with the AAIB report's handling of this critical exchange, calling it "vague" and suggestive of a "cover-up."
He argued the report should clearly identify which pilot spoke based on the cockpit area microphones (CAM 1 for Captain, CAM 2 for First Officer), as pilots wear headphones during takeoff and landing, isolating their audio channels. "Using vague terms like 'one pilot said this and one pilot said that' is very poor reporting," he asserted.
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Furthermore, Captain Ranganathan highlighted the crucial significance of pilot roles during takeoff. The AAIB report confirms that First Officer Clive Kunder was the Pilot Flying (PF), responsible for controlling the aircraft. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the Pilot Monitoring (PM).
"The pilot flying has both hands on the control column during rotation, as it's not automatic," Ranganathan explained. "They are focused on rotating the aircraft and setting the autopilot, so both hands are occupied. The pilot monitoring, however, is the only one with free hands." He stressed this point as pivotal: the Pilot Monitoring was the crew member physically capable of reaching and manipulating the guarded fuel cutoff switches at that precise moment without immediately disrupting the flying pilot's control inputs.
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Whispers of Medical History and Systemic Failures
Captain Ranganathan ventured beyond the immediate evidence, revealing concerning information circulating within the Air India pilot community. "I've heard that several serving Air India pilots had informed me that one of the flight crew members had a known medical history and had been on extended medical leave prior to the crash," he disclosed, specifically pointing towards the captain. "If top management was unaware of this, I'd be surprised because many line pilots knew about it."
While the AAIB preliminary report confirms both pilots were medically certified and had passed their annual checks, Ranganathan demanded a far deeper investigation into the psychological and behavioural health of the crew over the preceding months, not just days. "They would need to look at the last few months to determine if the pilot was on medical leave and why... I'm not an active pilot anymore, but if I'm hearing this feedback from pilots who are still flying, there's got to be a reason for it."
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He used this tragedy to launch a scathing critique of mental health safeguards within Indian aviation. Drawing parallels to infamous deliberate crashes like Germanwings Flight 9525 (2015), EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999), SilkAir Flight 185 (1997), and the more recent China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 (2022), Ranganathan stated these incidents demonstrate a global pattern where stress, depression, or other psychological factors can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
"It's not just the airline's fault; it's also the regulator's [Directorate General of Civil Aviation - DGCA] responsibility," he asserted. He cited relentless pressure on pilots due to demanding flight schedules and inadequate rest periods: "Over the last 10-15 years, pilots have been pushed to their limits, leaving them with little family life. You hear of many families breaking up, and this kind of stress can lead to various reactions." Crucially, he pointed out: "No airline in India maintains a psychiatric profile of its pilots during medical evaluations. Some of us have been warning about this, but it falls on deaf ears... Neither airlines, the regulator, nor the judiciary in India fully understand what fatigue and stress can do, and now we're paying the price for that."
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Minister Urges Caution
These explosive claims stand in stark contrast to the cautious stance adopted by Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu. Responding to the AAIB preliminary report's release, Minister Naidu explicitly urged against jumping to conclusions. "I don't think we should jump into any conclusions over this. I believe we have the most wonderful workforce of pilots and crew in the whole world," he stated, praising the pilots as the "backbone" and "primary resource" of civil aviation. "We care for the welfare and well-being of the pilots also. So let us not jump into any conclusions at this stage and wait for the final report... There are technicalities involved. It will be very premature to comment on the report."
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A Chilling Possibility Demanding Answers
Captain Mohan Ranganathan's grave allegations, based on his reading of the AAIB's own preliminary technical evidence and insider accounts, have cast an intensely dark shadow over the investigation into Flight 171. While the Minister's call for patience and trust in the pilot community is understandable, the specific, technical details about the fuel cutoff switches and the haunting cockpit audio cannot be easily dismissed. The suggestion of a deliberate act, coupled with whispers of undisclosed medical history and systemic neglect of pilot mental well-being, presents a profoundly disturbing narrative.
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The AAIB's final report now carries an immense burden. It must not only conclusively determine the sequence of events that led to the fuel being cut off but also rigorously investigate the psychological state and medical history of both pilots in the months leading up to the crash. It must address Captain Ranganathan's specific criticisms regarding the interpretation of the CVR data and the feasibility of accidental switch movement. Furthermore, it must confront the broader, uncomfortable questions raised about the adequacy of mental health screening and support systems for pilots within India's aviation sector. The families of the 260 victims, the sole survivor, and the entire aviation industry await answers with profound anxiety, hoping for clarity amidst a tragedy now shrouded in the terrifying possibility of intentional destruction.
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