Engine fuel switches were cut off before Air India crash: AAIB preliminary report

The preliminary report of the investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau into the June 12 Air India flight crash said that both engines of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft shut down mid-air following an unexpected transition of the fuel control switches from “RUN” to “CUTOFF,” triggering an abrupt loss of thrust.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171 to London Gatwick, crashed at 1:39 PM, less than a minute after liftoff. The accident killed 260 people—241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground.

The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the response was, “I didn’t.” Moments later, the crew issued a “Mayday” distress call. Witnesses reported the aircraft failing to gain altitude before crashing into the BJ Medical College hostel complex near the airport perimeter wall. A total of five buildings were severely damaged by the crash and the resulting fire.

According to the 15-page report, the flight was being operated by a 56-year-old captain and a 32-year-old co-pilot, both of whom had undergone mandatory pre-flight medical checks and were well-rested. The co-pilot was flying the aircraft at the time of the crash.

According to flight data, the aircraft achieved liftoff at 153 knots but began losing altitude seconds later. Engine cutoff occurred at 08:08:42 UTC, and while the pilots attempted to restart both engines mid-air, only partial recovery was recorded before the aircraft struck multiple structures. The vertical stabiliser and landing gear were found embedded in buildings, and the wreckage was strewn over a 1,000-by-400-foot area.

Initial examination of flight data recorders indicates that both engines’ fuel control switches were inadvertently—or unintentionally—moved to cutoff. The forward flight data recorder was successfully recovered and analysed, while the rear unit was too badly damaged. No bird strike or weather anomalies were reported, and investigators confirmed that all maintenance directives and service bulletins had been complied with.

The cause of the fuel cutoff remains under investigation. A similar issue had been flagged in 2018 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration through an advisory bulletin, which did not mandate inspections. Air India had not performed those checks on VT-ANB.

Experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing, GE, FAA, and aviation authorities from the UK, Portugal, and Canada have joined the investigation, as the deceased include foreign nationals. Complete analysis of postmortem reports of the crew and the passengers is being undertaken to corroborate aeromedical findings with the engineering assessment.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” the report said.

The AAIB emphasised that the findings are preliminary and that no safety recommendations have been issued at this stage. The final report will examine technical, human, and procedural factors before determining probable cause.