NEW DELHI — A preliminary investigation into the tragic crash of an Air India flight last month indicates that the fuel control switches for both engines were switched to the “cutoff” position just moments before impact. This action deprived the engines of fuel, leading to the loss of thrust shortly after takeoff.
The findings, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, suggest that confusion among the pilots contributed to this critical change in switch settings. The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down on June 12 near Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of at least 260 people, including 19 individuals on the ground. Remarkably, only one passenger survived the disaster, marking it as one of the most devastating aviation accidents in India’s history.
At the time of the incident, the plane was carrying 230 passengers, comprised of 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian, in addition to 12 crew members. According to the report, the duration between takeoff and crash was about 30 seconds. It stated that both engines’ fuel cutoff switches transitioned from the “RUN” to the “CUTOFF” position within a fraction of a second after achieving the aircraft’s highest speed.
These switches control the flow of fuel to the engines. While the report noted that the switches were eventually flipped back to the run position, it was too late for the aircraft to regain altitude and power in time to avert the crash.
One pilot reportedly transmitted a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” distress call during the emergency. Aviation expert Terry Tozer remarked that while the switches have a design mechanism for resetting, the low altitude at which they were switched to cutoff did not leave enough time for the engines to recover.
Compounding the situation, the cockpit voice recorder captured a moment of confusion where one pilot asked the other why the fuel had been cut off, to which the other claimed he did not do so—a clear indication of the miscommunication present during the crisis.
Boeing has stated that they are ready to assist the investigation and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. However, the preliminary report did not assign any blame to the aircraft manufacturer.
India’s civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, urged caution in drawing conclusions from the findings, asking everyone to wait for the final report. Meanwhile, Air India reassured that it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation and is taking steps to ensure such incidents are prevented in the future.
Authorities have also initiated extensive checks of Air India’s entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners to enhance safety measures going forward.
