A month after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed at least 270 people, a preliminary report into the worst aviation accident in India in decades showed the engines’ fuel switches shifted from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ within seconds of each other after take-off. The 15-page report was published early Saturday by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the crash.

“Why did you cut off?” one of the pilots was heard asking the other in the cockpit voice recording. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.

The CUTOFF transition, which turned off the fuel supply to the plane, could be the key piece in a complicated puzzle of what happened on the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 on June 12.

Moments later, switches of both engines of the London-bound plane were transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN, indicating the pilots tried to salvage the situation, as per data from Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR). The 787 Dreamliner and other commercial planes have more than enough power to complete a takeoff on a single engine, and pilots are well-prepared for that event.

“When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is in flight, each engine’s full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction,” said the report. (Key Takeaways From The Report here)

The EAFR recording, however, stopped seconds later. Soon after, one of the pilots transmitted a MAYDAY alert. The Air Traffic Control enquired about the call sign. It did not get any response, but it then saw the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary.

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The aircraft, fully loaded with fuel, quickly lost altitude and slammed into a hostel for medical students, where it exploded, killing all but one of the 242 individuals on board and around 30 people on the ground. It was airborne for only 32 seconds.

The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. The report said both pilots were medically fit and rested, with adequate experience.

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It said that there was no immediate evidence of sabotage, but pointed to a known Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory on a possible fuel switch flaw. It issued an information bulletin based on reports from operators of Model 737 aeroplanes that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. “The concern was not considered an unsafe condition,” it said.

The report mentioned that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed immediately after lift-off, as was seen on the CCTV footage from the airport. RAT is deployed when there is a dual-engine failure or total electronic or hydraulic failure.

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“No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall,” said the report.

In the 1980s, a Delta Air Lines Inc pilot mistakenly cut off fuel to the engines of the Boeing 767 he was flying. But in that case, he was able to restart them because the aircraft was higher in the sky, avoiding a disaster.

An Air India pilot asked why the doomed plane’s fuel had been cut off moments before it crashed.

A highly-anticipated report released by Indian authorities just after midnight on Saturday said initial findings indicate switches controlling fuel flow to the jet’s two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off.

All but one of 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the aircraft plunged into a medical student hostel in a built-up suburb last month, less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.

Amid the confusion, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why “did you cut off” to the fuel supply in the recovered cockpit voice recording.

The other pilot responded that he “didn’t”, according to the report released on Friday night by Indian authorities.

Fuel control switches to the engines of an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 260 people, were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday.

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed from Ahmedabad in western India to London when it crashed, killing all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.

In its 15-page report, the investigation bureau said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec”.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” it said.

The aircraft quickly began to lose altitude.

The switches then returned to the “RUN” position and the engines appeared to be gathering power, but “one of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY'”, the report said.

Air traffic controllers asked the pilots what was wrong, but then saw the plane crashing and called emergency personnel to the scene.

Earlier this week, specialist website The Air Current, citing multiple sources familiar with the probe, reported it had “narrowed its focus to the movement of the engine fuel switches”, while noting that full analysis will “take months — if not longer”.

It added that “the focus of the investigators could change during that time”.

The Indian agency’s report said that the US Federal Aviation Administration had issued an information bulletin in 2018 about “the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature”.

Though the concern was not considered an “unsafe condition” that would warrant a more serious directive, Air India told investigators it did not carry out suggested inspections as they were “advisory and not mandatory”.

Air India was compliant with all airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins on the aircraft, the report said.

The investigations bureau said there were “no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers”, suggesting no technical issues with the engines (GE) or the aircraft (Boeing).

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bureau said the investigation was ongoing, and that additional evidence and information has been “sought from the stakeholders”.

The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stipulates that states heading investigation must submit a preliminary report within 30 days of an accident.

US and British air accident investigators have taken part in the probe.

The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members.

Dozens of people on the ground were injured.

One passenger miraculously survived, a British citizen who was seen walking out of the wreckage of the crash, and who has since been discharged from hospital.

Health officials in the Indian state of Gujarat initially said at least 279 people were killed, but forensic scientists reduced the figure after multiple scattered and badly burnt remains were identified.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off,” the AAIB report said.

“The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”

About 22 seconds later, one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”.

As the aircraft was losing altitude, it initially made contact with trees before hitting a chimney and a medical college.

Downloaded flight data contained about 49 hours of flight data and six flights, including the crashed flight.

“The take-off weight was within allowable limits for the given conditions,” the report added.

“No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path.”

The report said the aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall.

Forensic experts and officials searching for evidence at the Air India Plane crash site on June 13. Photo / Raju Shinde, Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The flap handle assembly was found to be consistent with a normal takeoff flap setting and the landing gear lever was in the “down” position.

There were 230 passengers on board, with 15 in business class and 215 in economy class, including two babies.

The Boeing 787-8 was manufactured in 2013 and both its engines in use were installed this year.

The aircraft and its engines complied with all applicable airworthiness directives, the report said.

And there were no reported defects pertaining to the fuel control switch on the aircraft.

Experienced pilots, engineers, aviation medicine specialist, aviation psychologist and flight recorder specialists were being used as subject matter experts.

Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage site and quarantined at a hangar in the airport.

“Complete analysis of postmortem reports of the crew and the passengers is being undertaken to corroborate aeromedical findings,” the report added.

At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or General Electric GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers.

The investigation continues.

Air India’s chief executive is Christchurch-born Campbell Wilson.

A preliminary report into the Air India passenger plane crash that killed at least 270 people last month has found that both engines were flipped to cut off after takeoff.

The 15-page report released Friday by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that the cutoff switches for both engines were switched, one after another, within one second. The switch led to both engines losing thrust. Investigators were able to get data out of the black boxes.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report reads.

The switch was flipped three seconds into the flight, and the flight itself only lasted 32 seconds before crashing. The report doesn’t state how the switch was flipped. There had not been any defects reported relating to the fuel control switch since 2023, according to the preliminary report.

One of the engines began to regain thrust; however, the second engine did not. This led to one of the pilots transmitting a “MAYDAY” call, according to the report.

The left engine on the plane was installed on March 26, and the right engine was installed on May 1, according to the report.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers, suggesting that no significant fault has been found with the plane or its engines,” the report states, referring to the makers of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft and its GE engines.

In response to the report, Air India said in a social media post on Friday that it “stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident.”

“We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025. Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.

The Air Current, a news site that covers the aviation industry, reported earlier this week that the investigation into the crash was zeroing in on the engines and fuel control switches.

Air India flight AI171 was carrying 242 passengers and crew when it crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on June 12, shortly after taking off for London’s Gatwick airport. Officials confirmed that one passenger on the flight was the lone survivor. At least 29 people on the ground were killed.

Air India said those on board included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.

contributed to this report.