Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Monday said that the preliminary investigation report into the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad has found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed.

In a mail addressed to the Air India employees, Wilson stated, “I suggest we note that the Preliminary Report found no mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines, and that all mandatory maintenance tasks had been completed. There was no issue with the quality of fuel and no abnormality with the take-off roll. The pilots had passed their mandatory pre-flight breathalyser and there were no observations pertaining to their medical status.”

He, however, urged everyone not to draw any conclusions as the report has not identified any cause of the accident or made any recommendations.

“The Preliminary Report identified no cause nor made any recommendations, so I urge everyone to avoid drawing premature conclusions as the investigation is far from over. We will continue to co-operate with the investigators to ensure they have everything they need to conduct a thorough and comprehensive enquiry,” he said.

The Air India CEO also reiterated that the airline will continue to cooperate with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in the investigation, emphasising that all the Boeing 787 aircraft of the airline have been found fit for service.

He suggested that the employees remain focused on their work and adhere to the values of Air India that have powered the airline’s transformation journey over the past three years.

“Until a final report or cause is tabled, there will no doubt be new rounds of speculation and more sensational headlines. We must nevertheless remain focused on our task and be true to the values that have powered Air India’s transformation journey over the past three years – integrity, excellence, customer focus, innovation and teamwork. Let us not be diverted from what are our top priorities: standing by the bereaved and those injured, working together as a team, and delivering a safe and reliable air travel experience to our customers around the world,” he added.

His remarks came after AAIB released its preliminary investigation report into the tragic AI-171 crash last month.

The report stated that the fuel supply to both aircraft engines was cut off shortly before the crash.

“The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” the preliminary report said.

The AAIB also shared the cockpit voice recording, which captured one pilot asking the other why he cut off the fuel supply.

“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,” the report added.

The tragic crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on June 12 killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the crash site. One passenger, a British national of Indian origin, miraculously survived the crash, escaping with minor injuries.