Air India Crash After Cockpit Fuel Switches Were Cut Off: Investigation Reveals

Report by “Safarti Tarjuman” International News Desk

NEW DELHI — A preliminary investigation into last month’s Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people reveals both engine fuel switches were set to “cut-off” moments after takeoff, shutting down power and sending the aircraft into a fatal dive.

Flight AI171, a scheduled service from Ahmedabad to London Heathrow, crashed on 12 June into a densely populated residential neighborhood near the airport. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 died, along with 19 people on the ground, marking India’s worst air disaster in nearly 30 years.

According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India, data from the plane’s flight recorders showed that both fuel control switches in the cockpit were moved to the “cut-off” position seconds after liftoff, almost instantly stopping fuel flow to the engines.

The voice recorder captured one pilot asking:

“Why did you cut off?”

The other replied:

“I did not.”

Seconds later, the aircraft lost power and altitude. An urgent “mayday” distress call was transmitted to air traffic control before the plane crashed just outside the airport boundary.

The preliminary report said the crew tried to turn the fuel switches back on seconds after they were cut off. One engine briefly restarted, but the aircraft had already lost too much speed and altitude to recover.

Investigators did not specify whether the captain or first officer moved the switches, or which pilot made the final distress call.

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