The preliminary investigation report into the crash of an Air India plane near Ahmedabad in the western Indian state of Gujarat has revealed that the fuel supply switch to both engines was turned off shortly before the incident. While the report released by India’s aviation authority, AAIB, does not specify the direct cause of the June 12 incident, it states that the fuel supply switches were changed from “run” to “cutoff” shortly after the plane took off. With the switches turned off, the Boeing 787 aircraft lost the speed needed to climb further and immediately began to descend, according to the report.
The cockpit voice recorder captures one pilot asking the other why the fuel switches were turned off, to which the other pilot responds that they were not turned off, the report says. However, the report does not explain why the switches were cut off, while experts say these switches are not easily or accidentally turned off. Typically, an aircraft’s engine fuel switches are only turned off after landing at the airport or in an emergency situation such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate that any such situation occurred with the crashed Air India flight.
The report does not recommend any additional safety measures at this time from either Air India or Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer. The plane that crashed on June 12 in the afternoon was carrying 242 people from Ahmedabad to London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The aircraft crashed in an area called Meghani Nagar, near Ahmedabad airport, shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport.
Among the passengers were 11 children and 12 crew members. Air India has stated that the passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Only one person survived from among them. The British The British national survived by jumping from the plane as it was about to crash.
The plane crashed into part of the BJ Medical College student hostel near Ahmedabad airport. Indian authorities have reported that 270 people died in this incident, including many students who were in the hostel at the time.
