A preliminary report into last month’s fatal Air India crash, which killed 260 people, revealed moments of confusion in the cockpit after the plane’s fuel cutoff switches unexpectedly flipped, starving the engines of fuel.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flying from Ahmedabad to London, began losing thrust and descending shortly after takeoff, according to the report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The investigation found that the fuel cutoff switches moved from “run” to “cutoff” almost simultaneously after takeoff—an action experts say would not happen accidentally. Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot questioning the other about who had cut the fuel supply, with the second pilot denying responsibility. The report did not specify which pilot made the transmissions or issued the final “Mayday” distress call.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, a veteran pilot with over 15,600 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kunder, 32, with 3,400 hours of experience, were at the controls when the jet crashed. The AAIB has not yet determined how or why the fuel switches were activated mid-flight, a move aviation experts say is highly unusual unless responding to an emergency, such as an engine fire. No such emergency was indicated in the report.
Surveillance footage showed the aircraft reaching 650 feet before suddenly losing altitude. The plane struck trees and a chimney before crashing into a building, erupting in flames. Investigators later found both fuel switches in the “run” position, with evidence suggesting the engines briefly reignited before impact.
The tragedy poses a challenge for Tata Group, which acquired Air India in 2022 and has been working to revive the airline’s reputation. Air India acknowledged the report but declined further comment, stating it was cooperating with authorities.
Aviation safety experts, including U.S.-based Anthony Brickhouse and John Nance, questioned why the switches were flipped, noting that such an action is almost never performed during climb-out. The AAIB’s preliminary findings did not recommend any immediate changes for Boeing 787 operators or GE engines.
The investigation continues, with a final report expected within a year. Meanwhile, Air India faces additional scrutiny after revelations that its budget subsidiary, Air India Express, allegedly falsified maintenance records for an Airbus A320 fleet.
As India seeks to establish itself as a global aviation hub, the crash underscores the critical importance of safety in the rapidly growing sector. Relatives of the victims, including Kunder’s father, mourned at a memorial in Mumbai, while authorities work to determine the full sequence of events leading to one of the deadliest aviation disasters in a decade.
