A preliminary report into the Air India crash has outlined that the fuel cutoff switches flipped just three seconds after takeoff. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost thrust due to engines being starved of fuel, resulting in a crash that killed 260 people in June 2023 in Ahmedabad.
Cockpit audio revealed a pilot questioning why the switches were cut off. Investigators are examining whether the fuel control switches could have been triggered electronically or if it was an error by the pilots.
Experts highlight the importance of clear voice identification from the cockpit recording to understand the sequence of events leading to the crash.
Travel Extra’s aviation analyst shares “it would be almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand. What does this [bit in the report]exactly mean? The finding is very disturbing – that a pilot has shut off the fuel switch within seconds of flying. The deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) strongly supports the conclusion that both engines had failed. When both engines fail and the aircraft starts going down, the reaction goes beyond just being startled.”
