()- A cockpit audio record showing conversation between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed earlier this month suggests the captain stopped the supply of fuel to the aircraft’s engines, according to an individual informed about initial evaluations from US authorities.
Here is a chronology of significant developments in the inquiry so far:
JUNE 12:
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India en route to London crashed soon after departing from Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of nearly everyone aboard out of the 242 passengers and crew members.
JUNE 13:
The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) initiates an inquiry into the most severe aviation disaster of the past ten years.
The group consists of multiple specialists headed by the head of the AAIB, along with an expert in aerospace medicine, an air traffic controller, and officials from the NTSB based in the United States.
Boeing's 787 aircraft feature two GE recorders: one positioned at the front of the jet and another at the back. Each includes both a cockpit voice recorder and a flight data recorder, which capture identical sets of information.
A single black box device is retrieved from the roof of a structure at the accident location.
JUNE 16:
The second data recording device is retrieved from wreckage at the accident location.
JUNE 24:
Two black box devices were transported individually from Ahmedabad to an AAIB laboratory in Delhi using Indian Air Force planes.
In the evening, the group headed by the AAIB director general, along with technical personnel from AAIB and the NTSB, started the data retrieval procedure.
JUNE 25:
The memory component within the black box situated at the front of the aircraft was properly retrieved and its information transferred.
The front-mounted recording unit has its own power source, which offers temporary electricity to the system for approximately ten minutes should the aircraft’s main power fail.
JULY 12:
An initial assessment from Indian authorities stated that no specific recommendations were made to Boeing or General Electric at this point, suggesting that an issue with the plane or engines was improbable.
A pilot was recorded on the flight deck audio system questioning another about cutting off the fuel supply. "The second pilot denied having done that," the document stated.
It failed to determine which statements were spoken by the aircraft's commander and which by the co-pilot, as well as who sent out "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday" right before the accident.
A concluding document is anticipated within one year following the accident.
JULY 16:
According to The Wall Street Journal, the co-pilot, who was piloting the aircraft, questioned the senior pilot about moving the fuel valves to the "off" setting just moments after taking off from the runway.
JULY 17:
The AAIB stated in a release that "some parts of the global press keep trying to reach conclusions using partial and unconfirmed reports." It also mentioned that the inquiry is still underway and it's premature to make final judgments.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has been supporting the Air India inquiry, with its chair, Jennifer Homendy, having received comprehensive updates on every detail, according to a board representative. This encompasses the cockpit audio recordings and information from the flight data recorder that the NTSB team helped the AAIB interpret, as mentioned by the spokesperson.
(Covered by Abhijith Ganapavaram from New Delhi; edited by Jamie Freed)