Fuel Control Switches Flipped to 'Cutoff' Before Air India Crash, Investigation Finds
Preliminary report reveals confusion among pilots and abrupt loss of engine thrust before Ahmedabad crash
A preliminary investigation report has revealed that fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position moments before its crash last month.
This sudden shift in switch settings deprived both engines of fuel, leading to a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.The crash, which occurred on June 12 near Ahmedabad, resulted in the deaths of at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, making it one of India's worst aviation disasters.
Miraculously, only one passenger survived.The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 230 passengers from various countries and 12 crew members when it crashed shortly after takeoff.
The plane achieved its top recorded speed within seconds of departure before the fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position in rapid succession.Despite efforts by the pilots to correct the error by flipping the switches back into the run position, the aircraft could not regain enough power to prevent the descent and subsequent crash.
As the aircraft lost altitude, one of the pilots radioed a mayday alert.Confusion within the cockpit was evident as one pilot questioned the other about cutting off the fuel supply.
The other pilot insisted they had not done so.
These details were obtained from the plane's black boxes, which were recovered and analyzed following the crash.In response to these findings, Indian authorities have ordered more stringent checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners in an attempt to prevent future incidents.
The airline operates a total of 33 Dreamliner aircraft.
This sudden shift in switch settings deprived both engines of fuel, leading to a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.The crash, which occurred on June 12 near Ahmedabad, resulted in the deaths of at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, making it one of India's worst aviation disasters.
Miraculously, only one passenger survived.The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was carrying 230 passengers from various countries and 12 crew members when it crashed shortly after takeoff.
The plane achieved its top recorded speed within seconds of departure before the fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position in rapid succession.Despite efforts by the pilots to correct the error by flipping the switches back into the run position, the aircraft could not regain enough power to prevent the descent and subsequent crash.
As the aircraft lost altitude, one of the pilots radioed a mayday alert.Confusion within the cockpit was evident as one pilot questioned the other about cutting off the fuel supply.
The other pilot insisted they had not done so.
These details were obtained from the plane's black boxes, which were recovered and analyzed following the crash.In response to these findings, Indian authorities have ordered more stringent checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners in an attempt to prevent future incidents.
The airline operates a total of 33 Dreamliner aircraft.
