Fuel control switches on the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed last month were moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” moments before the plane hit the ground, effectively starving both engines of fuel, according to a preliminary report released early Saturday by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The report confirmed that the June 12 crash, which killed at least 260 people—including 19 on the ground—in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was triggered by a sudden loss of thrust just after takeoff. The doomed flight lasted only around 30 seconds in the air, making it one of the worst aviation disasters in India’s history.
According to the AAIB findings, “The Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another within a second,” shortly after the plane reached its top recorded speed. The report did not clarify whether the switch movements were accidental or the result of a mechanical fault.
The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers—comprising 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian—along with 12 crew members. Only one person survived the crash.
The report noted that although the pilots quickly returned the fuel switches to the “RUN” position, it was too late to regain power and reverse the aircraft’s rapid descent. “One of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY’,” the report said, highlighting the desperation in the cockpit in the seconds before impact.
Recordings from the cockpit voice recorder suggested deep confusion between the two pilots in those final moments. “One pilot was heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report revealed.
The report, while detailed in its preliminary findings, did not recommend any immediate action against aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
Air India, in its first public statement since the crash report was published, said it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
“Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses,” the airline stated.
Authorities recovered the aircraft’s black boxes—comprising the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—in the days following the crash, with data later downloaded in India.
In response to the crash, Indian aviation regulators ordered comprehensive safety checks of Air India’s entire fleet of 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in an effort to prevent further tragedies.
