14/07/2025

MONDAY | JULY 14, 2025

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Air India crash report seen as weak

o Wait for final document, says civil aviation minister

Pilots Association (Alpa) of India, said: “We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots, and we strongly object to this line of thought. “The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair, fact-based inquiry,” he said. The plane, bound for London from Ahmedabad, began to lose thrust and descended shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world’s deadliest aviation incident in a decade released on Saturday by Indian investigators. Alpa has also said it is surprised at the “secrecy surrounding these investigations” and questioned the qualifications of those involved. “We are reiterating the fact that suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations.” Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has said the findings of the report were preliminary and “one should not jump into any conclusions”. “I don’t think we should jump into any conclusions over this. I believe we have the most wonderful workforce of pilots and crew in the whole world,” Naidu said. “I appreciate all the efforts the pilots and crew of the country are putting in. They are the backbone of civil aviation. “They are the primary resource of civil aviation. We care for the welfare and well-being of the pilots also. So, let us not jump into any conclusions at this stage and wait for the final report. “There are technicalities involved. It will be very premature to comment on the report. The preliminary has come in but we have to wait for something concrete.” The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, published on Friday, said both of the fuel switches of the plane were moved to the “cut-off” position “immediately” after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.

LONDON: Aviation experts in India monitoring the Air India crash last month in Ahmedabad said the preliminary findings were “weak” in comparison to other crash reports issued for Boeing aircraft. “Compared with other high-profile preliminary reports, such as the 33-page Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 (737 MAX) report, the AI 171 report is notably brief and lacking in technical transparency,” aviation expert and founder of the NGO Safety Matters Amit Singh told The Hindu . “The ET 302 report included extensive data traces, CVR excerpts, checklists and manufacturer bulletins, enabling stakeholders worldwide to act swiftly. “In contrast, the AI 171 report reads more like a narrative than a technical investigation and fails to offer the clarity and urgency warranted by such a catastrophic event.” The preliminary report published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is part of the investigation into what caused the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to come down, has found that fuel control switches were moved to “cut-off” position as the aircraft rose from take-off. The 15-page document also includes a conversation between the pilots on the fuel controls before the crash on June 12, killing 260 people. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” it stated. The Pilots’ Association of India has objected to the findings from the preliminary investigation and said it “presumes the guilt of pilots”. Capt Sam Thomas, president of the Air Line The archaeological site, known as Penico, was a meeting point for trade between the first human communities on the Pacific coast and those from the Andes and Amazon regions, researchers have said. Located in the Supe valley, some 180km north of the Peruvian capital Lima and around 19km from the Pacific ocean, Penico was a hilly landscape before exploration work began in 2017. Archaeologists believe it could hold insights into why the Caral civilisation – which flourished between 3,000 and 1,800 BC – faded. At the opening ceremony, artistes from the region played pututus , the traditional shell trumpets, during an ancestral ritual offering to the Pachamama, Mother Earth, consisting of agricultural products, coca leaves and local drinks. Penico was an “organised urban centre devoted to agriculture and trade between the coast, mountains and the forest”, said archaeologist Ruth Shady, who leads research on the site. The site itself dates back to between 1,800 and 1,500 BC. It was built on a geological terrace 600m above sea level, parallel to a river to avoid flooding. Research carried out by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture has identified 18 constructions, including buildings and

Air India staff paying tribute to the victims at the crash site on Saturday. – AFPPIC

Coins left by tourists pose huge problem BUSHMILLS: Northern Ireland’s Giant Causeway draws close to one million visitors a year but their habit of wedging tiny coins in cracks between the rocks, to bring love or luck, is damaging the world-famous wonder. Authorities are now urging tourists to keep their coins in their pockets to preserve the spectacular landscape. Some 40,000 columns mark the causeway, Northern Ireland’s first Unesco World Heritage Site. Geologists say the natural phenomenon was created by an outpouring of basalt lava 60 million years ago. Legend has it that the causeway was formed by Irish giant Finn McCool. In recent decades, visitors have pushed thousands of coins into fissures in the rocks. The gesture is “a token of love or luck”, according to Cliff Henry, the causeway’s nature engagement officer. But the coins rapidly corrode and expand, causing the basalt to flake and leaving “unsightly” rust-coloured streaks, Henry said. He pointed to streaks on a rock and gingerly prised out a US cent with a set of keys. “We get a lot of euros and dollar cents. But coins from literally all over the world – any currency you can think of, pretty much – we have had it here,” he said. A report by the British Geological Survey in 2021 revealed that the coins were “doing some serious damage” and something had to be done about it, he noted. Signs are now in place around the site appealing to tourists to “leave no trace”. – AFP Of the 242 people onboard Flight AI171, 241 were killed, including 53 British nationals. The aircraft crashed into a hostel complex at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, killing several students and residents on the ground. Only one passenger, a British-Indian man seated in 11A, survived. – The Independent

Experts have since said it is not easy to “accidentally” cut off fuel switches. Following the release of the report, Badasab Syed, 59, who lost his brother, 49-year-old IT professional Inayat Syed, his sister-in-law and their two children in the tragedy, told BBC he has just been left with more questions, as he asked whether the tragedy was “avoidable”.

Ancient Peruvian citadel opens to public CARAL: To the music of conch shell trumpets, a 3,800-year-old citadel of the Caral civilisation, one of the oldest in the world, opened its doors to visitors in Peru on Saturday, after eight years of study and restoration work.

Visitors began streaming into the citadel of Penico on Saturday in Huaura province, Peru. – AFPPIC

She said the main cause was linked to weather changes that led to droughts and affected agricultural activities in the region. “We want to understand how the Caral civilisation formed and developed over time, and how it came to be in crisis.” – AFP

residential complexes. Researchers believe that it was built at the same time as the first civilisations in the Middle East and Asia. Shady said researchers are hoping the site could shed light on what caused the end of the Caral civilisation.