New theories into what caused Air India 171 crash are backed by victims’ lawyer

A lawyer representing 130 families of the Air India crash victims has cast doubt on the leading theory that the pilots were to blame.

Mike Andrews visited the UK to meet with distraught loved ones of passengers who died in the June 12 disaster, which killed 260 people – including 52 British nationals.

The aviation accident expert told Metro that an electrical failure was the ‘more likely’ reason the Ahmedabad to London flight went down in western India earlier this year.

He said an electrical problem could also explain a crucial conversation between the pilots in the last moments before Flight 171 went down.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in India released a controversial preliminary report in July, which said the Boeing 787’s fuel switches moved to the ‘cut-off’ position ‘immediately’ after take-off, halting fuel supply to the engine.

On the vital exchange between pilots, the report said: ‘In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.’

These excerpts have fuelled theories that pilot self-sabotage or error was behind the crash. They have also been used by Air India’s boss to insist ‘there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, the engines or the operation of the airline’ on the day of the disaster.

Speaking during a UK tour to meet families of the victims, Mr Andrews said theories around the pilots were ‘just rank speculation and conjecture’ which was harming the wait for the truth from the families of victims.

He told Metro: ‘You’re blaming one man for suicide and mass murder based off of a small piece of information.

‘We just don’t know enough and we don’t know when the full report will be published.

‘Families are desperate for answers to learn what happened, how it happened, why it happened. Every single person is begging for answers.

‘Many of them are frustrated with the lack of answers.’

‘Electrical failure’?

Instead, Mr Andrews and his team, from Alabama in the United States, have spoken with whistleblowers who leaked crucial information about the doomed flight. They also analysed all the available evidence.

He explained that their findings lead them to believe ‘there were so many electrically driven components that seem to have been having issues’ on the Boeing 787 that crashed.

Mr Andrews said: ‘I cannot tell you what happened because we don’t know. I can tell you that an electrical issue is more likely than not.

‘The complexity of the aircraft and the history of documented issues in the 787, both from the FAA and from Boeing, point to concerns that we have.’

Boeing has always maintained that the 787 is a safe aircraft and the plane does have a strong record.

But Mr Andrews pointed to a string of evidence that may show an electrical fault disrupted Flight 171, including testimony from Viswashkumar Ramesh – the British man who was the crash’s sole survivor.

‘Viswashkumar referred to the lights flickering on and off and then turning to a greenish hue,’ the lawyer said.

‘Most likely, that refers to a switchover from the primary electrical system to a backup system. Greenish lights could be the emergency backup lights.’

Another possible sign of an electrical failure was the plane’s use of a crucial safety mechanism.

Video from the crash seems to show that the Ram Access Turbine (RAT) – a small turbine used as an alternative power source – was deployed shortly before the accident.

‘This should only occur in very limited circumstances, one of those being an electrical failure,’ Mr Andrew said. ‘The problem that caused it to come out was, it seems, likely electrical.’

Videos allegedly taken inside the plane on different flights have also fuelled theories of these faults, as they supposedly show ‘nothing working’.

Akash Vatsa, a user on X, claimed he was onboard the doomed jet just hours before it took off from Ahmedabad and crashed.

Vatsa, who travelled on the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad just hours earlier, posted a video inside a plane and said that the air conditioning wasn’t working.

What could have caused an electrical failure is just as uncertain as whether an electrical fault was the true cause of the crash.

But Mr Andrews is concerned about reports of water leaks into electrical equipment on Boeing 787 planes.

In May, a month before the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US ordered airlines to conduct mandatory checks over reports of ‘water leakage’.

The attorney added: ‘We know that the FAA and Boeing were documenting water leaks onboard these planes.

‘I’m not saying that’s what happened [to Flight 171], but it happens.

‘It is something that can affect the electrical system, because those leaks occur in the areas where the flight computers are housed.’

The cockpit conversation

Circling back to the cockpit recording from the AAIB report, theories have suggested this showed a mistake or self-sabotage from the pilots by cutting off fuel supply to the engine.

But Mr Andrews suggests that instead of error or a deliberate switching action, it could have been an electrical issue that caused the shut down.

The lawyer said: ‘As we sit here, we don’t know exactly what they were talking about.

‘When there is an electrical failure, many systems are affected. 

‘Is it possible, then, that this conversation in the cockpit relates to a power failure, rather than this inference of the fuel switch?’

The law firm is travelling to London and then on to Ahmedabad to meet more relatives of crash victims. One thing is clear for them – that they will rigorously ‘pursue any entity for what happened, where they are, for whatever their conduct is’.

That cannot happen until the full data on the crash is released, however, and the AAIB have published its full report on the accident.

Families ‘desperate’

A number of victims’ relatives, many too upset to speak, met with Mr Andrews in Leicester on Wednesday.

He intends to speak with dozens more in a worldwide trip from London to western India.

These loved ones are waiting to retrieve crucial valuables and momentos that went down with Flight 171 six months ago.

‘They are desperate for anything. Anything at all. They are desperate for anything that can tie them back to that person,’ Mr Andrews said.

Many families lost not only a beloved relative in the crash, but also their main breadwinner.

Mr Andrews claims that those people still await crucial compensation promised to them after the disaster.

Air India committed to an interim compensation payment worth around £20,000, which the vast majority of Mr Andrew’s clients have now received.

But the airline’s owner, Tata Group, also pledged a voluntary £85,000 payment to each family, which Mr Andrews said has been delivered to comparatively fewer families.

Air India told Metro over 110 families have now been given the Tata Group’s compensation from their AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust.

Boeing has consistently maintained that the 787 is safe, saying the firm’s exhaustive testing procedures on aircraft ensure this is the case.

The company has told numerous outlets it would defer to India’s AAIB to provide information about the investigation.

The AAIB defended its interim report shortly after publication. It insisted that it was not meant to direct blame towards the pilots or to encourage anyone to draw conclusions, which it called ‘irresponsible’.

It said in a statement in July: ‘The purpose of AAIB’s investigation and preliminary report is to provide information about ‘WHAT’ happened. The preliminary report has to be seen in this light.

‘At this stage, it is too early to reach to any definite conclusions. The investigation by AAIB is still not complete. The final investigation report will come out with root causes and recommendations.’

The investigative body said it has a ‘flawless record’ from looking into 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents since 2012.

Air India’s boss also defended the results of the AAIB’s interim report in September, saying: ‘For the moment, the preliminary report indicates nothing wrong with the aircraft, nothing wrong with the engines, nothing wrong with the airlines operation, but we’ve taken a significant safety pause to ensure all of our practices and procedures are fully embedded, and people are fully embracing a new normal of even extra focus on safety, and the focus continues to be on the people that were affected.’

An Air India spokesperson told Metro in a statement: ‘We are deeply conscious of our responsibility to all families affected by the tragedy. Our interim compensation has already been paid to nearly all families and the Tata Group has set up the AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust which will ensure ongoing support.

‘We are keenly aware this continues to be an incredibly difficult time for all affected, and it remains our priority to offer support, compassion, and care in any way we can.’

Metro has approached Boeing and the AAIB for comment.

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