Preliminary Report: Air India Crash Caused by Fuel Cut-Off, Pilot Confusion

A preliminary investigation report released early Saturday reveals that fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved to the “cutoff” position moments before impact. This action starved both engines of fuel, leading to the catastrophic crash on June 12 that killed 260 people.

The report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau indicated significant confusion in the cockpit regarding the change to the switch setting, which resulted in a sudden loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed in Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of 260 individuals, including 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.

The flight lasted approximately 30 seconds from takeoff to crash. The report details that once the aircraft reached its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another” within a second. While the switches were reportedly flipped back to the run position, the aircraft was too low to recover power quickly enough to prevent its descent. A “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” transmission was heard from one of the pilots in the flight’s final moments, followed by a confused exchange where one pilot questioned the other about cutting fuel, to which the other denied doing so.

Aviation expert Terry Tozer described the engine cutoff switches being moved just seconds after takeoff as “absolutely bizarre,” emphasizing the lack of time for recovery at such low altitude. India’s civil aviation minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, cautioned against premature conclusions, stating that the findings are preliminary and the public should await the final report. Both Boeing and Air India have affirmed their full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. Authorities had previously ordered deeper checks of Air India’s entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet following the disaster.

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