Air India crash report shows pilot confusion over engine switch movement
印度航空空难报告显示飞行员对发动机开关的操作存在困惑
NEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) – A preliminary report depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before an Air India jetliner crashed and killed 260 people last month, after the plane’s engine fuel cutoff switches flipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel.
新德里，7 月 12 日（路透社）——一份初步报告显示，上个月一架印度航空公司客机坠毁导致 260 人遇难前，驾驶舱内曾出现混乱状况。当时飞机发动机燃油切断开关几乎同时被触发，导致发动机燃油供应中断。
The Boeing (BA.N),787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade released on Saturday by Indian accident investigators.
印度事故调查机构周六发布的报告显示，这架从艾哈迈达巴德飞往伦敦的波音(BA.N)787 梦幻客机起飞后不久即出现推力下降并开始下坠。该事故是近十年来全球最严重的空难事件。
The report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the June 12 crash raises fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches.
印度飞机事故调查局（AAIB）关于 6 月 12 日空难的报告，对关键发动机燃油切断开关的位置提出了新的质疑。
Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines.
飞机刚离地不久，闭路电视画面就显示备用能源装置冲压空气涡轮已展开，这表明发动机动力已丧失。
In the flight’s final moments, one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
驾驶舱语音记录仪显示，在航班最后时刻，一名飞行员询问另一名飞行员为何切断燃油供应。报告称：”另一名飞行员回应称自己并未如此操作。”
It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight’s captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” just before the crash.
报告未指明哪些言论出自机长，哪些出自副驾驶，也未说明坠机前发出”Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”求救信号的具体飞行员。
The commanding pilot of the Air India plane was Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who had a total flying experience of 15,638 hours and, according to the Indian government, was also an Air India instructor. His co-pilot was Clive Kunder, 32, who had 3,403 hours of total experience.
失事印度航空航班的机长为 56 岁的苏米特·萨巴瓦尔，总飞行时长达 15,638 小时，印度政府资料显示他同时担任印航飞行教员。副驾驶为 32 岁的克莱夫·昆德尔，总飞行时长为 3,403 小时。
The fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff. The preliminary report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight.
起飞后不久，燃油开关几乎同时从”运行”位跳转至”切断”位。初步报告未说明飞行期间开关为何会跳转到切断位置。
The crash is a challenge for Tata Group’s ambitious campaign to restore Air India’s reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022.
此次空难对塔塔集团雄心勃勃的品牌重塑计划构成挑战。该集团 2022 年从政府手中接管印度航空后，正致力于恢复其声誉并更新机队。
Air India acknowledged the report in a statement. The carrier said it was cooperating with Indian authorities but declined further comment.
印度航空在一份声明中承认了该报告。该航空公司表示正在配合印度当局调查，但拒绝进一步置评。
FUEL SWITCHES 燃油开关
Experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches.
专家表示，飞行员不可能意外触碰到燃油开关。
“If they were moved because of a pilot, why?” asked U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse.
“如果是飞行员操作的，动机是什么？”美国航空安全专家安东尼·布里克豪斯质问道。
The switches flipped a second apart, the report said, roughly the time it would take to shift one and then the other, according to U.S. aviation expert John Nance. He added that a pilot would normally never turn the switches off in flight, especially as the plane is starting to climb.
报告称，两个开关相隔一秒被拨动，美国航空专家约翰·南斯表示，这大致是连续操作两个开关所需的时间。他补充说，飞行员通常绝不会在飞行中关闭这些开关，尤其是在飞机开始爬升阶段。
Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff.
几乎立即将开关拨至”切断”位置会导致发动机熄火。该操作通常用于飞机抵达机场登机口后关闭发动机，或在某些紧急情况下（如发动机起火）使用。报告并未显示当时存在任何需要切断发动机的紧急情况。
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash, said the report, which was released around 1:30 a.m. IST on Saturday (2000 GMT on Friday).
报告指出，在坠机现场发现两个燃油开关均处于运行位置，并有迹象表明在低空坠毁前两台发动机都曾重新点火。该报告于印度标准时间周六凌晨 1:30（格林尼治时间周五 20:00）左右发布。
Asked about the report, the father of first officer Kunder told reporters “I am not from the airline”, declining to comment further during a prayer meeting held in the memory of the airline’s crew on Saturday in Mumbai, where emotional scenes played out among grieving relatives.
当被问及报告内容时，副驾驶 Kunder 的父亲对记者表示”我不属于航空公司”，在周六孟买举行的机组人员追思会上拒绝进一步置评。追悼会现场，悲痛的亲属们情绪激动。
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board thanked Indian officials for their cooperation in a statement and noted that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing 787 jets or the GE (GE.N), engines.
美国国家运输安全委员会在声明中感谢印度官员的合作，并指出报告中未对波音 787 飞机运营商或 GE(GE.N)发动机制造商提出任何建议措施。
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said its priority was to follow the facts where they lead and it was committed to promptly addressing any risks identified throughout the process.
美国联邦航空管理局表示，其首要任务是遵循事实指引，并承诺在整个过程中及时解决发现的任何风险。
Boeing said it continued to support the investigation and its customer, Air India. GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
波音公司表示将继续支持调查及其客户印度航空。通用电气航空航天部门未立即回应置评请求。
CRASH PROBE 坠机调查
The AAIB, an office under India’s civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the crash, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.
印度民航部下设的航空事故调查局正在主导此次空难调查。机上 242 人中仅 1 人生还，另有 19 名地面人员遇难。
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report due 30 days after the accident, according to international rules, and a final report expected within a year.
根据国际规则，多数空难由多重因素导致，初步报告需在事故后 30 天内完成，最终报告预计一年内发布。
The plane’s black boxes, combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.
飞机黑匣子（包括驾驶舱语音记录器和飞行数据记录器）在空难发生数日后被寻获，随后在印度完成数据下载。
The report said “all applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied (with) on the aircraft as well as engines.”
报告称”该飞机及其发动机均已符合所有适用的适航指令和服务通告要求”。
The airport closed-circuit TV recording from Ahmedabad had earlier shown the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet after it took off, but then suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building.
艾哈迈达巴德机场的闭路电视录像此前显示，这架印度航空客机起飞后爬升至 650 英尺高度，随后突然失速坠落，化作火球撞上附近建筑物。
The investigation report said as the Dreamliner lost altitude, it initially made contact with several trees and an incineration chimney, before hitting the building.
调查报告指出，这架梦幻客机在坠落过程中先后擦碰多棵树木和一个焚化炉烟囱，最终撞上大楼。
Air India has faced additional scrutiny on other fronts after the crash.
空难发生后，印度航空在其他方面也面临更多审查。
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said last week it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.
欧盟航空安全局上周表示，计划对印度快运航空展开调查。此前路透社报道称，这家廉价航空公司未及时更换空客 A320 飞机的发动机部件，并伪造记录以显示其符合规定。
India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhi saying it wants India to be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai.
印度正寄望于航空业的繁荣来支撑更广泛的发展目标，新德里方面表示希望印度能成为像迪拜那样的创造就业机会的全球航空枢纽。