{"id":110,"date":"2025-07-12T09:48:51","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T09:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=110"},"modified":"2025-07-12T09:48:51","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T09:48:51","slug":"fuel-to-air-india-171s-engines-was-cut-off-seconds-before-fatal-crash-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/?p=110","title":{"rendered":"Fuel to Air India 171\u2019s engines was cut off seconds before fatal crash, report says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for free<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__content-sign-up-topic-description o3-type-body-base\"><span>Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"article__content-sign-up-iframe close\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"signUpIframe\" data-prev-url=\"\/register\/in-article-sign-up?ft-content-uuid=3414e24b-8535-48b5-8b84-954c4ae2722b\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>The engines on Air India flight 171 briefly cut off seconds after take-off, a preliminary report into the jet\u2019s fatal crash last month has found.<\/p>\n<p>India\u2019s Air Accident Investigation Bureau said in its report released early on Saturday that the aircraft reached the necessary speed to lift off, but that seconds later, switches that control the flow of fuel to the jet\u2019s two engines \u201ctransitioned\u201d from \u201crun\u201d to \u201ccut-off\u201d position.<\/p>\n<p>In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other \u201cwhy did you cut off?\u201d to which he responded \u201cthat he did not do so\u201d, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Although the two switches transitioned back to the \u201crun\u201d position between 10 and 14 seconds later, the engines had been starved of fuel and lost thrust, leading one pilot to declare \u201cmayday, mayday, mayday\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Aviation experts have said it is difficult for pilots to inadvertently move the fuel switches.<\/p>\n<p>The crash on June 12 occurred moments after the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 took off from Ahmedabad, bound for London Gatwick airport. The accident killed 241 people on board and another 29 on the ground, where the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 crashed into a medical college near the airport. <\/p>\n<p>It was India\u2019s worst aviation disaster in almost three decades and the industry\u2019s deadliest in 11 years, as well as the first fatal crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation was conducted with assistance from UK\u2019s Air Accident Investigation Branch and the US National Transportation Safety Board. <\/p>\n<p>The AAIB said that at this stage of its investigation there were \u201cno recommended actions\u201d to Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, or GE Aerospace, whose engines powered the plane.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Air India said that it \u201cstands in solidarity with the families and those affected\u201d and \u201c[continues] to mourn the loss\u201d of those killed in the accident. <\/p>\n<p>It added that it was \u201cworking closely with stakeholders, including regulators\u201d and continuing \u201cto fully co-operate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Boeing said: \u201cOur thoughts remain with the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected on the ground in Ahmedabad. We continue to support the investigation and our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>GE Aerospace did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Indian conglomerate Tata Group, which owns the airline, referred reporters to the statement from Air India.<\/p>\n<p>The preliminary findings, which are based on data drawn from the cockpit voice and digital flight data recorders as well as evidence gathered from the crash site, did not draw any final conclusions about what led to the switches being turned off.<\/p>\n<p>Mark Martin of Martin Consulting, an aviation safety firm based in Gurugram India, said the AAIB and other investigators needed to probe further how the fuel switch had been cut off. He also questioned why the accident report made no reference to cockpit camera footage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo pilot would be foolish enough to cut fuel to both engines during a phase when he needs engine power the most,\u201d said Martin. \u201cIt is imperative that we wait for the entire, comprehensive investigation report.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sumeet Sabharwal, the captain, had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, while first officer Clive Kunder had more than 3,400 hours. The report said both pilots had an \u201cadequate rest period\u201d and took breathalysers before the flight. <\/p>\n<p>The report also referenced a 2018 airworthiness bulletin by the US Federal Aviation Administration regarding said fuel switches that had been installed on Boeing 737s, a smaller model \u201cwith the locking feature disengaged\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The locking feature prevents \u201cinadvertent\u201d movement between the fuel supply and cut-off positions, the notice said. If it was disengaged, it \u201ccould result in an unintended consequence, such as an in-flight engine shutdown\u201d. It said the locking mechanism was similar on various Boeing aeroplane models, including certain 787s. <\/p>\n<p>But the report added that the issue was not considered an \u201cunsafe condition\u201d by the FAA and that Air India did not inspect its planes\u2019 fuel switches because the bulletin\u2019s recommendations were only advisory and not mandatory. It added that the mechanism in the plane was replaced in 2019 and 2023 for reasons \u201cnot linked to the fuel control switch\u201d. <\/p>\n<p>The report also noted that closed-circuit television footage from the airport showed the jet\u2019s ram air turbine, a device that can provide emergency power for events such as electrical or engine failure, had been deployed. The jet had already begun to lose altitude before it crossed the airport boundary.<\/p>\n<aside aria-labelledby=\"aside-label\" class=\"n-content-recommended--single-story n-content-recommended--inset\" data-component=\"recommended\">\n<p class=\"n-content-recommended__title o3-type-body-highlight\">Recommended<\/p>\n<div class=\"o-teaser o-teaser--article o-teaser--small o-teaser--stacked o-teaser--has-image js-teaser\" data-id=\"ddbdeef0-3142-450e-803b-58a0e7efaaf5\">\n<div class=\"o-teaser__image-container js-teaser-image-container\">\n<div class=\"o-teaser__image-placeholder\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2290\/1288\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"o-teaser__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/__origami\/service\/image\/v2\/images\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2F__origami%2Fservice%2Fimage%2Fv2%2Fimages%2Fraw%2Fhttps%253A%252F%252Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%252Fproduction%252Fba54aae5-dd55-482e-9218-d75280ca710a.jpg%3Fsource%3Dnext-article%26fit%3Dscale-down%26quality%3Dhighest%26width%3D700%26dpr%3D1?source=next&amp;fit=scale-down&amp;dpr=2&amp;width=240\" alt=\"People looking at the remnants of the Boeing 787-8 after it crashed into a student hostel in Ahmedabad\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>It also said there was \u201cno significant bird activity\u201d in the vicinity of the flight path.<\/p>\n<p>The Dreamliner, a wide-body 787 used for long-haul flights, is Boeing\u2019s most advanced model and includes lightweight composite materials that aid fuel efficiency. The company has delivered more than 1,100 of the best-selling aircraft to airline customers.<\/p>\n<p>The accident has shocked Indians at a time of rapid expansion of air travel in the world\u2019s most populous country. It has also presented Air India\u2019s owner Tata Group with its biggest crisis since bought the airline from state ownership, seeking to revive the brand once seen as a national embarrassment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>#Fuel #Air #India #171s #engines #cut #seconds #fatal #crash #report<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The engines on Air India flight 171 briefly cut off seconds after take-off, a preliminary report into the jet\u2019s fatal crash last month has found. India\u2019s Air Accident Investigation Bureau said in its report released [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[30,28,35,32,31,34,27,29,36,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-110","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"tag-171s","8":"tag-air","9":"tag-crash","10":"tag-cut","11":"tag-engines","12":"tag-fatal","13":"tag-fuel","14":"tag-india","15":"tag-report","16":"tag-seconds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldpumpnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}