In a shocking claim, an Italian newspaper has reported that Indian investigators, in their final report, are preparing to state that the Air India AI 171 crash occurred after one of the pilots turned off the fuel switches intentionally.
The report by Italy-based Corriere della Sera, which cited western aviation agencies, said the investigators did not find any technical defect. The cockpit voice recordings have identified which pilot turned of the fuel switches, according to the report.
Air India's London-bound Boeing 787-8 flight AI171, was operated by pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder. The crash took place soon after after the plane took off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board. Among the 241 dead were 169 Indians, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian and 12 crew members.
The Italian media reports comes as the Supreme Court asked the Centre on Wednesday to file a brief report on the "procedural protocol" followed so far, after it was informed that the probe into the plane crash by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) is at its final stages.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared in the court representing the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said some part of the AAIB probe need to be carried out in foreign countries.
