Investigators are probing whether the Air India crash which killed 260 people was caused by sabotage.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner slammed into a medical college after both engines appeared to fail moments after take-off.
All but one of the 242 passengers, including 52 Brits, and crew died with Vishwash Ramesh, 40, the only one to survive.
Another 19 people were killed on the ground in Ahmedabad and the Indian government has now revealed that air investigators are considering sabotage as a possible cause.
India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said: “The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full investigation. It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage.”
(Wreckage showing the tail section of the Air India Boeing 787-8after it slammed into a medical college. Picture: Punit Paranjpe/AFP
Although there has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged it as a possible cause of the crash.
The pilot of Air India 171, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 55, frantically radioed air traffic control moments after take-off on June 12 to yell: “No thrust … May Day … May Day.”
Both engines appeared to have lost power – an incredibly rare occurrence described by experts as a “one in a billion event”.
All but one of the 242 passengers were killed. Picture: Vijay Patani / AFP
And the AAIB is now looking into whether it was caused by fuel contamination as a result of a deliberate act.
New York Times says the pilot crashed the plane. Suicidal pilot.