Air India crash: investigators focus on jet's fuel switches, as report nears
The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which started losing height after reaching an altitude of 650 feet, crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground.
The investigation into the Air India crash is focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches following an analysis of the 787's flight and voice data recorders, along with a simulation by Boeing of the aircraft's final moments, one of the sources said.
The investigation has not raised any immediate concerns over mechanical failure, the source said, and there has been no bulletin to airlines recommending changes to 787 operations. Boeing declined to comment.
Aviation industry publication The Air Current first reported the focus on the fuel switches that help power the plane's two engines.
It was unclear what specific actions involving the fuel switches were being examined by investigators.
Sources told The Air Current that the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before the aircraft crashed.
American aviation safety expert John Cox said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines. 'You can't bump them, and they move,' he said. Cox added that if a switch was shut off, the effect would be almost immediate, cutting off engine power.
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