A preliminary investigation into last month’s deadly Air India crash suggests that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost engine power shortly after takeoff due to a sudden fuel cutoff, leading to the deaths of 260 people in what has become the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
According to a report released Saturday by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the plane’s critical engine fuel cutoff switches flipped from “run” to “cutoff” seconds after liftoff from Ahmedabad airport en route to London resulting in loss of thrust which caused the aircraft to descend rapidly before crashing into a nearby building.
The cockpit voice recorder captured a brief moment of confusion between the two pilots, with one reportedly asking the other why the fuel had been cut.
“I didn’t do it,” the second responded, according to the transcript, as it remains unclear which pilot made the mayday call moments before impact.
The commanding pilot, 56-year-old Sumeet Sabharwal, had over 15,000 flying hours and was also an Air India instructor, while his co-pilot, Clive Kunder, 32, had 3,403 hours of experience.
Investigators say the fuel switches flipped nearly simultaneously, an act aviation experts say is difficult to do accidentally.
“A pilot would never turn off the fuel switches during takeoff unless facing an emergency, and none was reported,” said U.S. aviation expert John Nance.
While both switches were later found in the “run” position at the crash site, the report notes brief indications that the engines may have attempted to relight before the final impact, signifying that the crash occurred just moments after the aircraft reached 650 feet.
The deployment of the aircraft’s ram air turbine, a backup power source, further signaled a sudden engine power failure.
Footage showed the plane clipping trees and an incinerator chimney before slamming into a building in a fiery explosion.
Air India acknowledged the report but declined to comment further, stating only that it was cooperating with authorities.
Boeing and GE Aerospace, the aircraft’s engine maker, also pledged continued support to the investigation.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are monitoring the findings, though no safety alerts have yet been issued for the Boeing 787 or its engines.
The crash has added pressure on Tata Group, which took over Air India in 2022, as it attempts to revive the airline’s global reputation, meanwhile, separate scrutiny is mounting over Air India Express, the company’s budget wing, for reportedly falsifying aircraft maintenance records.
