Air India plane crash: Why were fuel switches in ‘cutoff' position?
Those very switches lie at the heart of the Air India Flight 171 investigation, after preliminary findings revealed both moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' within one second of each other during take-off, starving the engines of fuel and sealing the fate of 260 people.
The switches sit underneath the throttle handles in the cockpit's centre console, positioned where pilots' hands naturally rest during critical flight phases. Physical brackets guard each switch on both sides, making it impossible to accidentally brush against them. A spring-loaded mechanism requires pilots to pull each switch upward against resistance before it can be moved.
'You can't just bump these switches; they are intentionally spring-loaded and gated to prevent inadvertent usage,' aviation safety consultant John Cox told Reuters.
Aviation experts note this sequence makes accidental activation highly unlikely, particularly the simultaneous movement of both switches one second apart.
Also Read | Key to fatal Air India crash mystery: 32 seconds in flight deck
The Air India preliminary report identified the specific switches as Honeywell part number 4TL837-3D fitted on the crashed Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The report also cited a 2018 Federal Aviation Administration bulletin warning of potential problems with fuel control switch locking mechanisms on Boeing aircraft, including the 787.
The FAA described situations where fuel control switches were installed with locking features disengaged, potentially making them easier to move. Air India had not performed the suggested inspections because the bulletin was advisory rather than mandatory. The problem was not 'considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA'—meaning the bulletin did not require airlines to act specifically on the fuel switches. Honeywell did not respond to Hindustan Times' requests for comment about the switch design or any known issues with the locking mechanisms.
Also Read | Air India crash report: Picking up the missing pieces to tragic puzzle
When moved to 'CUTOFF,' the effects are immediate and catastrophic during flight. Fuel flow stops instantly, causing the engine to spool down and shut off. The loss also cuts electrical power from that engine's generators, affecting aircraft systems and cockpit displays. Under normal operations, pilots use these switches mainly during ground procedures for engine start-up and shutdown. In flight, they would only move them during emergencies like engine fires or attempting to restart failed engines—procedures that require careful thought and coordination, not split-second reactions.
The preliminary report noted both switches later returned to 'RUN' position as crews attempted to restore fuel flow, but by then the aircraft was on its fatal descent. Engine restart procedures require significant time and altitude—both unavailable during the 32 seconds between fuel cutoff and impact.
Boeing and enginemaker General Electric have not issued any safety bulletins to 787 operators since the crash, with the AAIB noting no need for emergency checks on other jets yet. Over 1,100 Boeing 787s operate worldwide, making this the first fatal accident in the aircraft's 14-year service history.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Avoid speculation on Air India crash, says global pilots' body
An international organisation representing 150,000 pilots across 70 countries has called for the public to avoid speculating on the cause of the Air India crash that occurred on June 12, emphasising on the importance of allowing the ongoing investigation to conclude. This comes days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) submitted its preliminary findings into the Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad in which 260 people died. 'Whilst this preliminary report by its very nature raises many questions, it does not provide answers, and any extrapolation of its content can only be regarded as guesswork, which is not helpful to the good conduct of the investigation,' said Montreal-based non-profit International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations in a press statement. It called reports on media and commentary on social media as 'hasty'. 'A preliminary report is merely the means of communication used for the prompt dissemination of data obtained during the early stages of the investigation and only contains factual information and an indication of the progress of the investigation,' the statement added. Amid demands from pilot bodies for allowing them observer status during the ongoing probe, IFALPA said it was 'committed' to supporting the AAIB.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
10 hours ago
- First Post
'Raises more questions, doesn't give answers': Global pilots' body warns against speculations over Air India crash probe
The AAIB said the fuel switches to the engines were cut off within a gap of 1 second immediately after takeoff, causing confusion in the cockpit of the plane read more The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA) has said AAIB's preliminary report into the Air India plane crash, by its very nature, raises many questions and does not provide answers and urged all parties to refrain from speculations. In its preliminary report on the Air India's Boeing 787-8 accident on June 12 that killed 260 people, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said the fuel switches to the engines were cut off within a gap of 1 second immediately after takeoff, caused confusion in the cockpit of the plane before crashing into a building. The AI 171 was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Citing cockpit voice recording, the 15-page preliminary report, released on Saturday, said one pilot asked why the switch was cut off and the other pilot responded that he did not do so. While the initial report does not provide any conclusions, there are speculations in certain quarters that a possible pilot error could be a reason for the crash. 'Whilst this preliminary report by its very nature raises many questions, it does not provide answers, and any extrapolation of its content can only be regarded as guesswork, which is not helpful to the good conduct of the investigation,' IFALPA said in a statement on July 14. According to IFALPA, the report clearly states that no safety recommendations are being provided at this stage and stresses that the federation remains committed to supporting the efforts of the AAIB of India as they work to determine the contributing factors of the accident. IFALPA claims to have 1 lakh pilots as its members from across 100 countries. On Saturday, Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA), an IFALPA member – said the tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias towards pilot error and rejected this presumption as it insisted on a fair, fact-based inquiry. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the statement on July 14, IFALPA also highlighted that a preliminary report is merely the means of communication used for the prompt dissemination of data obtained during the early stages of the investigation and only contains factual information and an indication of the progress of the investigation. Urging all parties to refrain from speculation, allow the investigation to run its full and proper course, IFALPA said everyone should avoid drawing conclusions from preliminary information. 'The victims, including the families of the crew and passengers of Air India 171, deserve our collective professionalism while the full investigation is conducted,' it added. Two pilot bodies of Air India – Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) representing narrow-body pilots and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) representing wide-body pilots – have also warned against speculations based on the preliminary report. .
India Today
12 hours ago
- India Today
Was Air India crash mechanical, accidental or…? FAQs answered
The preliminary report of the ongoing investigation into the June 12 crash of the London-bound Air India Flight AI171, soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, has raised various worrying questions, most critically around fuel cut-off to the engines of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane and whether this fatal development occurred from a mechanical malfunction or some other cause. INDIA TODAY breaks down the report for answers:Q. What caused both engines of the plane to fail mid-take-off?advertisementA. Three seconds after being airborne, both engine fuel-cut-off switches abruptly moved from 'RUN' to 'CUT-OFF', starving the engines of fuel. Crucially, the pilots denied touching the switches, as per cockpit voice recorder data, and the plane's wreckage showed the switches physically back in 'RUN' some observers, this points strongly to a catastrophic failure of the small latches meant to lock those switches in place—a specific risk flagged in an advisory by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) back in 2018. But to some others, it suggests human error. Q. Why wasn't the risk flagged by the FAA over six years ago fixed on the Air India plane that crashed?A. That critical FAA warning was only an advisory, not a mandatory directive. Air India had the throttle-control module of this plane replaced twice (2019 and 2023), but maintenance logs show that no inspections for the faulty latch mechanism were performed either time. However, the advisory was that in some 737 (not 787) aircraft, it had been found that those switches were installed with faulty locking. The 787 series of aircraft was also mentioned in the FAA advisory because its switches were similar. From images of the wreckage, it would seem that was not the case with Flight AI171. Then again, deeper material analysis is underway to conclude either way.Q. What was so crucial about the FAA advisory?A. To quote a portion of it: 'The Boeing Company (Boeing) received reports from operators of Model 737 airplanes that the fuel-control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged The fuel control switch has a locking feature to prevent inadvertent operation that could result in unintended switch movement between the fuel supply and fuel cut-off positions. In order to move the switch from one position to the other under the condition where the locking feature is engaged, it is necessary for the pilot to lift the switch up while transitioning the switch the locking feature is disengaged, the switch can be moved between the two positions without lifting the switch during transition, and the switch would be exposed to the potential of inadvertent operation. Inadvertent operation of the switch could result in an unintended consequence, such as an in-flight engine shutdown.'The advisory also says that based on the limited data at that time, it was considered not to turn it into a mandatory check for airline operators. Now, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked all airlines that have aircraft mentioned in that advisory to carry out an inspection and furnish a report of the findings by July Could the highly experienced pilots have accidentally shut off the fuel supply?A. Both the pilots' credentials and flying experience, as well as common sense strongly suggest otherwise. The two pilots were highly experienced on this specific plane. The cockpit voice recorder data has one of them expressing shock when the plane lost upward thrust and questioning the fuel switch cut-off, while the other denies doing the physical thrust levers were found jammed full forward (take-off position), supporting flight data showing maximum power was commanded until impact. The switches themselves were found in 'RUN' mode after the crash. This combination makes a simple pilot error of bumping the switches incredibly unlikely.Q. Why do modern aircraft, especially the Dreamliner, allow cut off of fuel supply manually when the aircraft is airborne? Isn't there failsafe tech to prevent such a thing?A. Experts cite a variety of reasons. For example, the pilot might need to switch off fuel to one or both engines during landing, based on the dynamic landing environment. The engine does not need full power during taxiing. So, the fuel is cut off then as well. Then there is the scenario of an engine catching fire. In such a case, the pilot might have to cut off fuel supply to that engine to save the aircraft. So the existence of the switches and the behaviour of the aircraft are not in switches are designed in a way that makes the act of turning them a deliberate, 2-3 second job. Moreover, metal guards are installed on either side of the switches to prevent accidental bumping. Some experts have also talked about failure/malfunction of a chip (microprocessor) linked to the GE engine of the Air India plane. But the report does not talk about such a thing.Q. If not a mechanical malfunction or something accidental, what other reason could be attributed to the switches turning off?A. In that case, only one possibility remains—human error. Some global aviation experts seem to be veering towards this theory. Captain Steve Scheibner, a commercial pilot and leading aviation expert with a wide following on YouTube, is of the view that the only way the switches could be off is if someone manually switched them off, and not by accident. He also points out that India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has onboarded, among others, an 'aviation psychologist'—perhaps to assess the mental health and stress levels of the Flight AI171 pilots during switches are designed in a way that it takes three fingers and a bit of force to turn them. Thus, it's being argued that it's unusual for them to change position because of cockpit vibration or turbulence. The aviation community is also often quoting the infamous Germanwings Flight 9525 crash of 2015.Q. What happened in the Germanwings crash? Are there similarities to the Air India tragedy?A. On March 24, 2015, Germanwings Flight 9525, from Barcelona to Dsseldorf, had crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. Investigations revealed that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally caused the the captain left the cockpit, Lubitz locked him out and then deliberately set the autopilot to descend rapidly into the mountains. Despite efforts by the captain to regain entry and calls from air traffic control, Lubitz maintained control and drove the plane into the ground. It was later discovered that Lubitz had a history of severe depression and had concealed his mental health issues from his is no direct similarity of the Germanwings tragedy to the Flight AI171 crash. However, investigators and experts are drawing parallels in terms of exploring all possibilities, including pilot intent or mental state. The Airline Pilots Association of India has rejected insinuations of suicide or human error and termed such theories as biased. Their argument is also that the pilots are being made to take the fall because they are not around to defend themselves. In any case, a deeper analysis is underway, with a definite outcome of the investigation at least months to India Today Magazine- EndsTrending Reel
