A preliminary report into last month’s deadly Air India crash has revealed cockpit confusion and a critical malfunction involving the aircraft’s fuel cutoff switches, which investigators say likely led to the loss of power in both engines shortly after takeoff.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was en route from Ahmedabad to London on June 12 when it began losing thrust moments after becoming airborne. The flight ended in tragedy as the plane plunged into a nearby building, killing 260 people—including nearly everyone on board and 19 people on the ground—making it the deadliest aviation disaster in over a decade.
According to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), both engine fuel cutoff switches flipped from “run” to “cutoff” just after takeoff, starving the engines of fuel. Closed-circuit footage showed a ram air turbine—typically deployed during power loss—activating almost immediately after the aircraft left the ground. Investigators remain unsure how or why the switches were flipped, noting that such controls are not easily or accidentally moved in flight.
In the cockpit voice recordings, one pilot can be heard asking the other why he cut the fuel. The reply: “I didn’t.” The report does not identify which pilot made each statement. The aircraft’s captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, had over 15,000 hours of flight experience and was an instructor at Air India. His co-pilot, 32-year-old Clive Kunder, had just over 3,400 hours of flying experience.
Experts are puzzled. Aviation safety analyst Anthony Brickhouse questioned how such switches could be flipped without intention, while John Nance, a former U.S. pilot and aviation expert, pointed out that the one-second gap between the switches being flipped suggests they were manually operated in sequence. These controls are generally used only when shutting down an aircraft at the gate or during emergencies like engine fires—not during takeoff.
Adding to the mystery, the switches were found in the “run” position at the crash site, and evidence suggests the engines attempted to relight just before the low-altitude impact. The AAIB report also noted the aircraft was compliant with all airworthiness directives and engine bulletins at the time of the crash.
The jet rose to an altitude of 650 feet before rapidly losing height. It struck trees and an incinerator chimney before crashing in flames into a building. The plane’s black boxes were recovered and decoded in India, offering investigators crucial data for the ongoing probe.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are involved in the investigation and have pledged to monitor the situation closely. While the report does not recommend any action for Boeing 787 operators or GE engine users, the incident is already raising broader concerns about Air India’s safety practices.
Boeing has confirmed its continued cooperation with investigators, while GE Aerospace has not yet issued a statement.
Meanwhile, Air India is under additional scrutiny. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced plans to investigate Air India Express—its budget arm—after reports emerged of delayed engine part replacements and falsified compliance records involving its Airbus A320 fleet.
The crash casts a shadow over Tata Group’s ambitious efforts to revitalize Air India since taking control from the government in 2022. With India pushing to become a global aviation hub, the tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the high stakes in aviation safety and accountability.