Air India Crash: Fuel Cut-Off Triggered Mid-Air Just Seconds After Take-Off, Says Probe Report

 Air India Crash: Fuel Cut-Off Triggered Mid-Air Just Seconds After Take-Off, Says Probe Report

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minary investigation into last month’s deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad has revealed a chilling detail: the fuel switches for both engines were somehow moved to the “cut-off” position just three seconds after take-off, leading to a catastrophic loss of power and the eventual crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the incident unfolded mere moments after the aircraft lifted off the runway. At 1:38:42 PM, the fuel switches — which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines — were switched from “RUN” to “CUTOFF.” The engines lost thrust almost immediately after that. With no power to stay airborne, the plane crashed just outside the airport perimeter at 1:39 PM, killing at least 260 people, including 19 individuals on the ground.

The AAIB’s report, released late Friday, reveals that the two switches moved one after the other with a gap of one second between them. The cockpit voice recorder captured a brief but alarming exchange between the two pilots at the exact time of the switch transition. One of them is heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off. The other pilot’s response: he didn’t do it.

That brief conversation has only deepened the mystery surrounding the crash. The report doesn’t specify which pilot — the captain or the first officer — asked the question or whether the switch movement was accidental, mechanical, or deliberate. Nor does it include a full transcript of the cockpit audio, leaving many questions unanswered.

Aviation safety expert Amit Singh, who leads the NGO Safety Matters, noted that the switches are designed to be locked in place during flight. “Until the investigation explains how a supposedly locked fuel switch could have moved to CUTOFF and provides a detailed sequence of failure messages and aircraft response, the full truth remains elusive,” Singh said.

Just thirty seconds after the initial fuel cutoff, a panicked voice from the cockpit radioed in a triple “MAYDAY” distress call — the universal signal for life-threatening emergencies. When air traffic control attempted to confirm the aircraft's identity, there was no reply. Moments later, the plane slammed into an open area beyond the airport’s boundary.

Curiously, the AAIB report notes that around 10 to 12 seconds after the fuel was cut off, the switches were moved back to their original “RUN” positions. One of the engines responded and began stabilizing. The second engine, however, failed to recover, and the aircraft remained in a steep descent. At 1:39:11 PM — just under 30 seconds after takeoff — the flight data recorder stopped functioning, marking the end of the doomed flight.

Adding another layer to the story is a 2018 advisory issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which warned of potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking mechanism on Boeing 787-8 aircraft. However, the advisory was not mandatory, and Air India reportedly did not carry out the recommended inspections.

Reviewing the plane’s maintenance history, investigators found no record of any issues with the fuel control switches since 2023, when the aircraft's throttle control module was last replaced.

While the preliminary report stops short of assigning blame or making technical recommendations for the aircraft or its GE GEnx-1B engines, it raises critical concerns about aircraft design, pilot protocols, and maintenance oversight. As families of the victims await answers, the aviation community is left grappling with how a modern aircraft could be brought down by what appears to be a baffling switch movement just seconds after leaving the ground.