US attorney Mike Andrews, representing many families impacted by the Air India crash in Ahmedabad, has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain data from the flight data recorder (FDR).
Andrews presented new evidence supporting a theory that a water leak-induced short circuit, not pilot error, caused the crash.
He officially requested the FDR or black box data from US authorities, stating that his evidence increasingly points to a leak from the aircraft’s potable water system, which may have caused an electrical short circuit, leading to critical system failures on AI171.
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He argued that this short circuit might have triggered automatic shutdown of the fuel control switches, resulting in a catastrophic propulsion loss, rather than crew error.
Andrews supported his claims with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness directive (AD) for Boeing models like 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in the June 12 Ahmedabad crash was mentioned in the FAA directive.
The AD, issued on May 14, was due to multiple reports of water leakage from improperly installed waterline couplings, allowing moisture into the electronics equipment (EE) bays, critical areas for flight control systems and avionics.
The FAA stated that these leaks “could cause the EE bay equipment to become wet, leading to electrical shorts and potential loss of essential flight systems.”
The directive demands inspections of aircraft seat tracks above the EE bays for missing or deteriorated sealant, moisture barrier tape, or tape dams to prevent water intrusion.
On June 12, Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew, and 19 ground individuals.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report on the tragic crash, detailing the events within 90 seconds of takeoff. It noted both engines shut down unexpectedly during the climb, causing a catastrophic thrust loss and rapid descent.
The crash ranks as one of India’s deadliest aviation accidents in recent history.
