Dreamliner Crash in India: Which Russian Pilots Made the Same Mistakes

As stated in the initial crash report , the aircraft reached its peak recorded airspeed of 180 knots (indicated airspeed) at approximately 08:08:42 UTC. Immediately thereafter, within one second of each other, the fuel valves for engines #1 and #2 were moved from the on position to the off position. As a result of the loss of fuel supply, the speed of engines #1 and #2 began to drop relative to takeoff values.

Cockpit recordings show one pilot asking the other why the engine was shut down, followed by the other pilot denying any involvement.

"Why did you turn off the fuel supply?" one pilot asks the other.

“I didn’t turn off the fuel supply,” he replied.

It is known that the co-pilot was flying the plane during takeoff, while the captain was monitoring the flight. The report does not specify which pilot asked the question and who answered. The 56-year-old captain had more than 10,000 hours of flight experience on wide-body aircraft, Air India said. The 32-year-old co-pilot had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience.

The aircraft itself attempted to correct the pilot's error. The RAT activated and began supplying hydraulic power at approximately 08:08:47 UTC.

At approximately 08:08:52 UTC, the No. 1 engine fuel valve was switched back to the run position. At approximately 08:08:54 UTC, the auxiliary power unit (APU) inlet door opened, consistent with the APU automatic start logic. Then, at 08:08:56 UTC, the No. 2 engine fuel valve was also switched to the run position. When switching the fuel valves from the off position to the run position during flight, the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system automatically controlled the restart and restoration of thrust by delivering fuel and ignition.

However, for the Dreamliner, these actions were too late. The machine crashed into a dormitory of a medical college.

Experts note that the investigation is ongoing, and the reasons for the engine shutdown — pilot error, a technical problem, or something else — have not yet been precisely determined. The final results of the air crash investigation are planned to be made public within a few months. But it is most likely that the cause of the accident is human error.

The second pilot, who was entrusted with the takeoff of the aircraft, could have been overly nervous and acted illogically, while the more experienced controller, for some reason, did not see the fatal fuel cut-off.

Unfortunately, “childish” mistakes by pilots are not at all uncommon, including in the history of Russian aviation.

September 7, 2011 will remain a tragic date in the history of world hockey - on this day, news of a terrible air crash that took the lives of players from Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv became known. The plane, which was transporting the team to Minsk for a match, crashed immediately after takeoff from Tunoshna Airport. The Yak-42 airliner fell to the ground, which resulted in the death of 44 people: 36 passengers, including hockey players and coaches, and 8 crew members. The only survivor of this terrible tragedy was flight engineer Alexander Sizov.

— The cause of the air crash was the crew's mistakes, which pressed the brakes during takeoff, — said Alexey Morozov, chairman of the IAC technical commission. — It is not possible to determine whether both pilots or one of them pressed the brakes.

Nevertheless, the picture of the incident is clear, and it shows a complete lack of coordination between the actions of both pilots.

Initially, they made a mistake in determining the speed necessary to make a decision on takeoff. Then, during acceleration, the pilots applied the brakes with inconsistent force. According to experts, the commander then pulled the control column away from himself, which led to an additional pressure of the nose of the aircraft to the ground. The flight engineer, noticing this, reduced the thrust of the engines. The second pilot's reaction to this action was a phrase of bewilderment: "What are you doing?" After this, the crew commander immediately took control, and the flight engineer, having received the command "Takeoff", again set the engines to full power.

The pilots then encountered the approaching end of the runway, the plane began to vibrate, and panic ensued as the speed required for liftoff was never achieved.

The commander decided to continue the takeoff, driving off the runway onto the ground. The pilots set the stabilizer and elevators to extreme positions, significantly exceeding the necessary ones, and with great effort began to pull the control column towards themselves, simultaneously pressing the brake pedals. This led to the aircraft lifting off the ground, a sharp rise in the nose, an ascent to a height of 5-6 meters, an instant roll to the left and a subsequent crash.

The main reason for the disaster is considered to be the fact that the pilots, accustomed to flying the Yak-40, for some reason did not retrain to fly the Yak-42 aircraft, which has a different throttle and brake control system.

On the evening of December 23, 1984, one of the three engines caught fire on board the aircraft flying SU-3519 "Krasnoyarsk-Irkutsk".

Initially, it was mistakenly assumed that the central engine (No. 2) had caught fire. 27-year-old flight engineer Resnitsky received an order to shut it down and requested permission from the airport control center for an emergency landing. Resnitsky soon discovered the inaccuracy and reported the real situation: the left engine (No. 1) was functioning normally, the central engine (No. 2) was turned off (although it was actually running at minimum power), and the right engine (No. 3) was engulfed in flames. The engineer activated the fire extinguishing system manually and turned off the burning engine, but inadvertently did not shut off the fuel supply . As a result, all three stages of fire extinguishing were ineffective: fuel continued to flow to the burning engine, and the fire spread to the still-serviceable engine No. 2. Then it was decided to... start it.

Within a minute, the crew realized that both engines were on fire. An attempt was made to turn off engine #2 again, but Resnitsky forgot to turn off the fuel valve again. The fire could not be stopped from spreading. The pilots attempted to land using only engine #1, but the control systems failed due to the flames. The plane lost control, banked sharply, and crashed several kilometers from the runway. 110 people died in the crash, including seven crew members. One of the passengers survived.

On September 14, a Boeing 737-505 plane flying from Moscow crashed near the Perm airport. Aeroflot-Nord initially emphasized the high qualifications of the crew, but the investigation revealed serious shortcomings on the part of both the airline and the pilots.

Even before takeoff, the passengers sensed something was wrong. One of the passengers on board sent a message to her friend, saying that the captain's speech sounded like the speech of a "completely drunk person." It also turned out that the pilot had not had a full rest for the previous three days and had not had time to regain his flying form. An analysis of the conversations and data from the flight recorders showed that the aircraft commander, Rodion Medvedev, was in an inadequate state, made mistakes in the names of echelons, used obscene language, and at an altitude of only 1,200 meters, performed a "barrel roll." This maneuver was critical for the civilian aircraft, and it soon crashed.

In the first years after the disaster, various versions of what happened were considered. Some technical faults with the plane were discovered, and the pilots were even praised for steering the falling plane away from a residential area. However, over time, it became increasingly clear that responsibility for the deaths of all 87 people on board lay with the aircraft commander. Criminal cases were repeatedly brought against him, which were closed due to the death of the suspect. At the end of 2012, four years after the tragedy, the investigation was finally completed, recognizing the pilot as the sole culprit.

By the way, the hero of the Chechen wars, General Gennady Troshev, was on board the Boeing…

In 1994, on board an Airbus A310 flying from Moscow to Hong Kong, two children of one of the pilots and his colleague, also a pilot, were in the cockpit. The 13-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were allowed to take turns flying the plane.

The crew believed that there was no danger with the autopilot activated, but the autopilot suddenly deactivated. The plane began to tilt to the side, and the teenager reported this to his father. It turned out that the pilots did not know the features of this type of aircraft well enough, and therefore for some time they could not understand the cause of what was happening until critical overloads arose. All this time, the young man was in the pilot's seat, trying to follow the instructions that three pilots gave him simultaneously. At the decisive moment, when the situation became critical, the plane was finally brought out of the spin and leveled out. The aircraft commander finally returned to his seat, and everyone felt relieved. But too early: it turned out that the plane had lost a lot of altitude, and a few seconds later it collided with an elevation, touching the crowns of trees, and then crashed near a settlement not far from Mezhdurechensk. All 75 people on board died.

The list of the simplest crew errors that result in planes crashing can be continued with dozens of other examples from around the world. Which once again shows the importance of the human factor and the readiness of pilots to do their job. And the fact that it can be accident-free and without human casualties is proven by the experience of 10 airlines that have never crashed their airliners:

A well-known British company founded by the extraordinary entrepreneur Richard Branson. Since 1982, it has specialized in long-haul flights connecting Great Britain with North America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Australia and the Middle East. Despite several forced landings, the airline has not had a single casualty during its operation. Flights with them are not only safe, but also exciting: passengers are offered entertainment and even massages. The original arrangement of seats in the cabin - face to face and diagonally - adds comfort.

The British low-cost airline, founded in 1995, is one of the leaders in its segment. Despite affordable ticket prices, the company provides a high level of pilot training and uses a modern fleet. No serious accidents have been recorded during its operation.

Another low-cost airline, this time from Ireland, offering tickets from 6 euros. The company has been operating since 1984 and, although it has had some incidents, has always ensured the safety of passengers.

It has been successfully operating since 1985 and is known for its comfort and high level of service. This largest airline in the Middle East operates all flights without any incidents that resulted in human casualties.

Another UAE airline that is customer-focused (they even offer a “Flying Nannies” service on board). In one case, the company’s pilot died during a flight, but managed to land the plane safely, saving the lives of everyone on board.

A fast growing airline from the Middle East, operating from a modern and convenient airport in Doha. Since its establishment in 1993, the company has been committed to transporting passengers safely to their destinations.

Greece also boasts a high level of flight safety. Since 1987, the airline has managed to avoid serious accidents and casualties.

One of the oldest airlines in the world: the history of flights began in 1929. Almost a century of experience in successfully transporting passengers is worthy of admiration!

Yes, this is the same Russian low-cost airline that has been criticized for its strict baggage size requirements and website outages during sales. Despite some inconveniences, the company, which has been operating new planes since 2014, helps save money and, most importantly, has no history of crashes.

It has existed since 1993 and, like Pobeda, is one of the safest domestic airlines. In August 2019, the company's pilots demonstrated the highest level of skill by making an emergency landing of the plane in a cornfield near Moscow, confirming its status as a carrier without casualties.