Fuel to both engines of the Air India plane that crashed and killed 260 people last month appears to have been cut off seconds after take-off, a preliminary report has found. Air India flight AI171, bound for London, crashed into a densely populated residential area in Ahmedabad on 12 June, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground. It was India's deadliest air crash in almost three decades.
According to a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, moments after take-off both switches in the cockpit that controlled fuel going to the engines had been moved to the 'cut-off' position. Moving the fuel switches almost immediately cuts the engine. The initial report did not recommend action against Boeing, who manufactured the 787-8 Dreamliner, or General Electric who manufactured the engines.
Drawing on information from the plane's data and voice recorders, the report relayed that 'in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off', referring to the fuel switch. 'The other pilot responded that he did not do so.' Seconds later, the plane began losing altitude and an emergency message was transmitted to air traffic control, just before it crashed outside the airport perimeter.
According to the report, the fuel switches were moved to cut-off 'one after another'. Seconds later, the switches were moved back to turn the fuel back on and one of the plane's engines was able to restart, but could not reverse the plane's deceleration. The preliminary findings did not say how the fuel switches could have flipped to the cutoff position. The switches are equipped with safeguards, including a locking mechanism, to prevent accidental movement.
The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage. Speaking from his hospital bed last month, the 40-year-old said the plane felt like it was 'stuck in the air' shortly after take-off before lights began flickering, adding: 'It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.' The report confirmed that 19 people were killed on the ground when the plane crashed into a densely populated residential area, falling onto a medical college dining room and destroying five buildings.
It could be months before investigators release a full report into the causes of the crash. According to India's aviation rules, a preliminary report had to be released within 30 days.
