Air India Crash: Captain Dhalla Calls for Thorough Investigation, Questions Premature Blame

Captain Prashant Dhalla, a former DGCA Flight Operations Inspector, has raised concerns about the premature attribution of blame in the Air India flight 171 crash. He emphasized the significance of understanding human factors in the incident, pointing out the potential for a ‘startle effect’ to influence pilot actions. Dhalla cited the preliminary report’s findings on the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as a basis for exploring the possibility of pilots attempting to manage engine issues. He stressed that although human error is a possibility, it is too soon to definitively conclude this. He explained the locking mechanisms of fuel switches, to prevent accidental activation. He also discussed the confusion in the cockpit and urged for the release of the CVR transcript. He highlighted the pilots’ limited time to react, given the aircraft’s low altitude, and the challenges of simultaneously managing the emergency and communicating with ATC. He also said the incident could be the rare event of a dual engine flameout.