Investigators Release Cause of Fatal Air India Crash. It's Bizarre
The plane was captured on video crashing into a building shortly after takeoff. But why?
Now, investigators have come up with a cause for the plane crash, and it's bizarre.
They believe the fuel switches were turned off. According to the Seattle Times, shutting down the fuel switches cut power to the plane's engines.
The plane reached top speed 30 seconds into takeoff.
At that point, 'the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another' within a second's time, the report says, according to the Hill.
The Hill noted that it's not clear what made the switches cut off.
The New York Times reported that "seconds after takeoff and moments before an Air India flight crashed last month, the fuel was cut off to both engines."
The Times added that the findings "raised questions about the pilots' actions and appeared to rule out mechanical failure or design flaws."
The cockpit recording captures a pilot asking another why he cut off the fuel, but he denies doing so, according to The Times.
After being cut off, the switches were turned back on, but it was too late, the Times reported.
There are locks on the switches to prevent them being moved accidentally, the newspaper added.
According to BBC, the report also outlined how, in 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a special bulletin warning that some Boing 737 fuel control switches "were installed with the locking feature disengaged."
That bulletin was advisory, so Air India never performed recommended inspections, BBC Noted.
The switches being turned off abruptly cut off "the plane's thrust at 180 knots," according to BBC.
Other reports say a mechanical issue is still on the table. It remains a mystery whether the switches were flipped due to "human error or a rare mechanical malfunction," BBC reported.Investigators Release Cause of Fatal Air India Crash. It's Bizarre first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 12, 2025
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