'No delay,' Centre tells Parliament on AI171 crash probe

 

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha on Monday, July 27, that there has been ‘no delay’ in the investigation into last year's fatal Air India crash.

"The timeline for a major accident investigation cannot be predicted, as it depends on several factors and is an evolving process involving multiple variables," he wrote in a written reply in RS.

Mohol said that the investigation is on-going and all the probable causes as well as the contributing factors are being examined. He said the final report, including all findings, will be made public on the website of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe, once the investigation is complete.

An Air India Boeing 787-8 bound for London's Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12 last year, killing 260 people.

The AAIB issued an interim report on June 12 this year, saying that the investigation had made significant progress. The bureau said at the time that the final report would be released after all investigative activities, along with required international review and consultation processes, were completed.

Responding to a separate query on the Fuel Control Switch Locking Mechanism in Boeing 787 aircraft, Mohol said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had ordered manufacturer-level testing of the mechanism in Seattle as part of the continued routine safety checks.

"Detailed examination of Fuel Control Switch including structural integrity of Fuel Control Switch detents was carried out and no abnormality was observed," he said, adding that a further inspection of the complete Thrust Control Module at the manufacturer's facility is underway.

(With inputs from PTI)