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Air India disaster: black box indicates that it was the captain who shut down the engines

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The tragedy on 12 June claimed the lives of 260 people. Investigations indicate that it was the captain who deactivated the fuel controls

It was the captain of Air India flight 8123 who deactivated the switches that regulated the flow of fuel to the engines of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, causing the plane crash that occurred on 12 June in western India. The confirmation comes from black box recordings, according to sources close to US investigators speaking to the Wall Street Journal.

The tragedy, which killed 260 people, occurred shortly after take-off. The cockpit recording shows that co-pilot Clive Kunder, initially surprised, panicked when he noticed that captain Sumeet Sabharwal had moved the switches to the cutoff position, interrupting the fuel flow. The captain, according to sources, remained calm.

An initial report by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau reported the exchange between the pilots, but did not specify who had acted on the controls. Aviation safety experts now claim that it was the captain who intervened on the controls. It remains to be clarified whether this was a deliberate act or an error.

The preliminary document does not rule out other causes, including technical defects, malfunctions or maintenance deficiencies. The authorities are also investigating the psychological aspect, with the involvement of specialists in aviation and behavioural medicine.

At the moment of impact, the aircraft was in the hands of First Officer Kunder, who was at the controls, while the captain monitored the flight phases. The switches were activated one second apart and reactivated ten seconds later. Too late: the aircraft crashed near Ahmedabad airport. Only one person survived the crash.

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