Apreliminaryreportinto thecrashof anAirIndiajetliner thatkilled 260people in June isexpectedto bereleasedbyFriday, a step that could provide early details into the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, threesourcessaid Tuesday.
While thereportfromIndian investigators could be made publicFriday, thesourceswith knowledge of the matter cautioned that plans could change and there was no clarity on how much information would be available in the document, which comes about 30 days after the June 12 tragedy.
Thesourcesspoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media.
The London-bound Boeing787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet,crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and the rest on the ground.
The investigation into theAirIndiaflight 171crashis focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches, following an analysis of the Boeing 787’s flight and voice data recorders, aviation industry publicationtheAirCurrentreported Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the investigation.
The people said the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before theaircraftcrashed, theAirCurrentreported.
Mostaircrashes are caused by multiple factors. The investigation is focusing at least partly onengine thrust, Reutersreported last month.
India’sAircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe underinternational rules, did not respond immediately to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
Earlier on Tuesday,India’s ANI newsreported that investigators from the AAIB submitted thepreliminaryreporton thecrashto the civil aviation ministry, citingsources.
Reuters could not immediately confirm thereport.
The probe has been dogged by questions over lack of information, after investigators took abouttwo weeks to downloadflight recorder data after thecrash. TheIndian government held only one press conference on the incident, and no questions were taken.
However,Indiareversed course on an earlier decisionreported by Reutersto prevent a U.N. aviation investigator from joining the probe, two seniorsourcessaid.
A specialist from the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was granted observer status, following an unusual request by the agency to offer its support.
ICAO declined to comment, adding in a statement that any public discussion of “cooperative arrangements,” would require authorization by the state.
Thecrashis challenging the Tata Group’s ambitious campaign to restoreAirIndia’s reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022.
Indiais bankingon a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhisaying it wantsIndiato be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai, which currently handles much of the country’s international traffic.
A panel ofIndian lawmakers willreview safetyin the country’s civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on Wednesday, with topics set to include the recent planecrash.
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