Report: Air India pilots' final words to each other before crash
The final words shared by the pilots of the Air India crash, which tragically claimed the lives of 241 passengers, have been revealed—and they may hold a vital clue as to what caused the disaster. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, plummeting into a residential area called Meghani Nagar and claiming 19 additional lives on the ground.
The final cockpit conversation between the doomed aircraft's pilots could shed light on the last moments. One asked why the plane's fuel had been cut off shortly before the crash, while the other denied doing so. Amid the confusion, one voice is heard saying, 'Did you cut off?' and the other responds, 'I didn't,' according to a report by Indian authorities. It did not clarify whether Captain Sumeet Sabharwal or co-pilot Clive Kunder made the remarks or issued the distress call: 'Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!'
Investigators believe the Boeing 787 lost power when the fuel cutoff switches flipped nearly simultaneously, starving the engines. The fuel switches are designed to be highly reliable and safeguarded against accidental activation. Each lever must be pulled upward and flipped, and they are protected by guard brackets. Experts like John Cox, a U.S. aviation safety specialist, say bumping them unintentionally is nearly impossible.
At 08:08:42 UTC, the aircraft reached a max airspeed of 180 knots. One second later, both fuel cutoff switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF. Engine readings dropped immediately as fuel was cut. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut, and the reply was that he hadn't done it. But the report offers no explanation for how the switches, meant to remain in the RUN position during flight, ended up in CUTOFF.
Attention has now turned to a 2018 FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) regarding similar switches on Boeing 737s that were sometimes installed without a locking feature. Though not considered unsafe, an Airworthiness Directive was issued. The 787-8 uses the same switch design, and Air India did not perform the recommended inspections. Despite this, the crew had passed all breathalyser tests and were deemed fit to fly.
At the crash site, both switches were found in the RUN position, with signs that the engines had attempted a relight. One ex-AAIB investigator speculated whether the electronic control unit may have tripped the switches. Data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders showed the fuel switches flipping back to RUN shortly after the initial cutoff. This triggered the APU inlet door to open, in line with auto-start logic, and the FADEC system began a relight sequence.
Still, no emergency was identified to justify the cutoff. U.S. investigators have also noted the fuel switches were turned off shortly after takeoff. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed — a backup system used when both engines fail — supporting the engine failure theory. With the landing gear found down, some believe the crash happened too fast for the crew to recover. If preliminary findings hold, Boeing and GE may be cleared. However, tensions between Indian and U.S. officials have risen, particularly over delays in analyzing the black boxes. The U.S. team briefly considered pulling out of the investigation but ultimately stayed.
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