Fuel Switch Mystery: Air India Crash Report Reveals Pilots Denied Cutting Engine Power

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report on the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying from Ahmedabad to London, which killed 260 people including 19 on the ground. The report revealed that the aircraft’s fuel control switches transitioned from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” for both engines within one second, causing the plane to rapidly lose altitude. Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut off, with the second pilot responding he had not done so. The switches later returned to “RUN” and engine power was regaining when a Mayday call was made. The US FAA had previously issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) about potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on Boeing aircraft, but inspections were not mandatory. The AAIB has not concluded causes or assigned blame in this preliminary report.