I think that the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) shows that the FE (Flight Engineer) shut down that engine on his own, without an order to do so from the Captain. The argument is that if it had been left running then it should have still been producing useful power, that shutting it down contributed to the crash.
I don't know the specifics of the Air France SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for this but I think that usually an engine is only shut down on the order of the Captain, using two-crew procedures. Something like:
FE: "Confirm shut down Number Two engine?"
Captain: "Confirm," etcetera. This protects against shutting down the wrong engine or as here, shutting down an engine that the Captain may wish to keep running.
Oddly enough, one may keep an engine that is on fire running after take-off. The logic is that you are using it to climb to a safe height, after which you may shut it down. The fire itself is not the main problem if you are at risk of crashing due to lack of performance or loss of control (both engines out on one side is much harder to control than one out and one on fire, for instance).
The counter-argument will probably be that there was no time for two-crew procedures so that the FE felt that he had to act on his own to deal with the reported fire as the greater risk to the aircraft. With hindsight, that might have been an obvious mistake on his part if the aircraft was not already unable to continue flight.
Last edited by chuks; 6th Feb 2010 at 12:31.