
Fuel switches were cut off moments before Air India plane crashed
The report, released by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau, doesn't draw conclusions on the cause of the crash, but its details will place scrutiny on the pilots.
The bureau said the crash killed 260 passengers, crew and bystanders. The flight had been bound from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, but crashed soon after takeoff. It was operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and powered by two General Electric GEnx turbofan engines.
The engine cutoff switch is typically used by pilots to power down a plane upon landing. The report states that just three second after liftoff, the cutoff switches from both engines moved from the "run" position to the "cutoff" position.
"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off," the report reads. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so."
The co-pilot was flying the plane at the time, with the captain taking a monitoring role. The report does not state which pilot asked about the fuel cutoff switches being turned off and which responded that he had not turned them off.
Ten seconds after the switches moved to the cutoff position, the switch for engine one was turned back to the "run" position, the reports states. The engine two switch was turned back on four seconds after that.
Both engines showed immediate signs of being reignited. Engine one began to recover thrust prior to the crash, but engine two did not.
The flight transmitter stopped recording, indicating the crash, just 32 seconds after liftoff.
At this stage, there are no recommended actions for operators or manufacturers of Boeing 787-8 planes or GEnx engines, according to the report.
The investigation into the crash is continuing.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Alaska Airlines plane hits multiple deer while landing in Kodiak, Alaska. It's more common than you might think
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after an Alaska Airlines plane struck several deer while landing in Kodiak, Alaska Thursday. Alaska Airlines flight 231, a Boeing 737m had flown the 39-minute flight south from Anchorage and touched down about 8 a.m. Thursday at Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport During the landing rollout at least two deer were crossing the runway and unfortunately, did not survive, Alaska Airlines said in a statement. 'An inspection found damage to the aircraft's main landing gear that will require repairs in Kodiak,' a spokesperson said.'Passenger flights to and from Kodiak were then canceled for the rest of Thursday and guests were rebooked on other flights.' Air traffic control audio from recorded the pilots noticing animals as they came in for landing. 'There is deer on the runway,' the pilot told air traffic control shortly after he was cleared to land, according to audio from 'Roger, do you have an idea of where they are at currently,' the tower responded. 'The intersection,' the pilot responded. The airport closed the runway for a short time while crews cleared the remains, finding at least two carcasses. The plane was able to taxi and park without further incident. No passengers or crew were injured in the incident, the airline said. 'The pilots need to come down and look at this, if you can just give them a shout and they can come – yeah,' an airport worker on the ground told the tower in the LiveATC recording. The plane involved remains at Kodiak and has not flown since the strike, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Aircraft collide with animals every day at airports across the country, with more than 22,000 strikes reported last year alone, according to the FAA's wildlife strike database. Planes at Kodiak Airport hit animals five times last year, all of them birds, including two bald eagles. Across the US last year, planes hit deer more than two dozen times. In 2024, the database also includes planes colliding with three alligators in Florida, a mongoose in Hawaii, a badger in North Dakota and numerous coyotes, bats, skunks and opossums.


CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Alaska Airlines plane hits multiple deer while landing in Kodiak, Alaska. It's more common than you might think
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating after an Alaska Airlines plane struck several deer while landing in Kodiak, Alaska Thursday. Alaska Airlines flight 231, a Boeing 737m had flown the 39-minute flight south from Anchorage and touched down about 8 a.m. Thursday at Kodiak Benny Benson State Airport During the landing rollout at least two deer were crossing the runway and unfortunately, did not survive, Alaska Airlines said in a statement. 'An inspection found damage to the aircraft's main landing gear that will require repairs in Kodiak,' a spokesperson said.'Passenger flights to and from Kodiak were then canceled for the rest of Thursday and guests were rebooked on other flights.' Air traffic control audio from recorded the pilots noticing animals as they came in for landing. 'There is deer on the runway,' the pilot told air traffic control shortly after he was cleared to land, according to audio from 'Roger, do you have an idea of where they are at currently,' the tower responded. 'The intersection,' the pilot responded. The airport closed the runway for a short time while crews cleared the remains, finding at least two carcasses. The plane was able to taxi and park without further incident. No passengers or crew were injured in the incident, the airline said. 'The pilots need to come down and look at this, if you can just give them a shout and they can come – yeah,' an airport worker on the ground told the tower in the LiveATC recording. The plane involved remains at Kodiak and has not flown since the strike, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Aircraft collide with animals every day at airports across the country, with more than 22,000 strikes reported last year alone, according to the FAA's wildlife strike database. Planes at Kodiak Airport hit animals five times last year, all of them birds, including two bald eagles. Across the US last year, planes hit deer more than two dozen times. In 2024, the database also includes planes colliding with three alligators in Florida, a mongoose in Hawaii, a badger in North Dakota and numerous coyotes, bats, skunks and opossums.


CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
Worker rescued after construction equipment tips over in Oak Forest, Illinois
A worker was rescued after his construction equipment fell into a hole and tipped over early Friday morning in Oak Forest, Illinois. The Oak Forest Fire Department said they were called for an overturned crane with someone trapped inside at the Oak Forest Hospital grounds around 8:36 a.m. Fire crews, along with other agencies, were able to extricate and transport the patient to a local hospital. The worker's condition is unknown. No other injuries were reported. The worker was seen shaking hands with other workers before being placed inside the ambulance. No further information was immediately available.