New Delhi: No “mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or engines”, is what Air India CEO Campbell Wilson told AI employees in an internal letter on the initial investigation into the 12 June crash.

“Instead of focusing on interpretations, 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 about their medical status,” the letter said.

“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, warning that there would be sensationalism till the final report is out.

The Air India-171 flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was set to fly from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick, but crashed within a minute of the scheduled takeoff time. The deadly crash left at least 275 people dead, including 241 of the 242 on the plane, and others on the ground. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel mess building.

On the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, the AAIB released its preliminary report on the crash, noting that the fuel switches transitioned to ‘cut-off’ 1 second apart for both engines. The report notes that the fuel switches were also then moved to ‘run’; while one engine ignited, the other failed.

The report has ignited massive criticism from aviation experts, with many saying the pilots were being made scapegoats.

Meanwhile, Campbell Monday also said, “The release of the Preliminary Report marked the point at which we, along with the world, began receiving additional details about what took place. Unsurprisingly, it provided both greater clarity and opened additional questions. It also triggered a new round of speculation in the media. Indeed, over the past 30 days, we’ve seen an ongoing cycle of theories, allegations, rumours and sensational headlines, many of which have later been disproven.”

“I would also remind that, out of an abundance of caution and under the oversight of the DGCA, every Boeing 787 aircraft operating in our fleet was checked within days of the accident and all were found fit for service. We continue to perform all necessary checks, as we will any new ones that authorities may suggest,” the letter added.