A preliminary report on the Air India Flight 171 crash, which killed 260 people on June 12, reveals critical details about the accident. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost power when its fuel-control switches moved to the "cutoff" position seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in western India. This unexpected switch movement starved the engines of fuel, leading to a rapid loss of thrust. The crash, which occurred less than a minute after takeoff, is the deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
The cockpit voice recordings captured confusion among the pilots, with one asking, "why did he cut off?" The other pilot responded, "he did not do so." These voices were not attributed to either pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal or co-pilot Clive Kundar. Both pilots had adequate rest before the flight and passed preflight breath analyzer tests.
According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the switches flipped back to "run" shortly after, but the engines couldn't regain power quickly enough to prevent the crash. The report also noted that the ram air turbine (RAT), a backup power source, was deployed during the initial climb, indicating a complete power failure.
The Guardian reported that the crash has raised concerns about the design and placement of the fuel cutoff switches. In 2019, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a bulletin warning that some Boeing 737 fuel switches had their locking features disengaged, but this was not considered hazardous enough for mandatory action. The same switch design was used in the crashed aircraft, but Air India did not perform inspections as the alert was advisory.
Air India confirmed receipt of the AAIB's preliminary report and expressed solidarity with the victims' families. The airline is cooperating fully with the investigation, which is expected to produce a detailed report in 12 months. Boeing has not yet commented on the incident.