Air India Crash: Technical Issues, Pilot Actions, and the ‘Startle Effect’

Captain Prashant Dhalla, a former DGCA Flight Operations Inspector, has weighed in on the Air India flight 171 crash, suggesting that the focus should not immediately be on pilot error. Reviewing the AAIB’s preliminary report, Dhalla mentioned the RAT deployment, leading him to speculate about pilots’ attempts to engage or disengage the engines due to technical concerns. He introduced the concept of the ‘startle effect,’ which could lead to unintended actions by pilots during emergencies. Dhalla also discussed the locking mechanisms on fuel switches, preventing inadvertent activation. Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of the CVR transcript to understand the cockpit dynamics. Dhalla believes the pilots’ actions indicated engine problems and the challenging time constraints in a situation where the aircraft was at a low altitude, leaving the pilots with very little time to react and coordinate with ATC.