Air India Crash Report Out: What’s Clear and What Still Isn’t

Fuel Switches Moved to Cut Engines Midair, But Cause Remains Unexplained

July 12, 2025

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has released its preliminary report on the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025, killing 241 people on board – leaving a lone survivor – and 19 more on the ground. The most shocking revelation is that both engines shut down within seconds of liftoff because the fuel control switches had moved to the off position. But what caused the switches to move remains unexplained.

The report confirms that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated by Air India and bound for London Gatwick, lifted off as planned and climbed briefly before losing power from both engines. The aircraft reached its takeoff speed, lifted off the runway, then immediately began to lose altitude. Within one minute of becoming airborne, it struck buildings belonging to BJ Medical College and exploded. Investigators recovered both black boxes and retrieved audio and flight data from one of them, confirming the sequence of events.

Crucially, the report finds that both engines were cut off when their fuel control switches moved from “run” to “cutoff” positions, one after the other. These switches control the fuel supply to the engines. Their movement stopped power to the engines, which led to an immediate loss of thrust. The pilots then flipped the switches back to the “run” position in a possible attempt to restart the engines. One engine showed signs of recovery, while the other did not. But by this point, the aircraft had lost too much altitude and crashed into the city.

The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he cut off the engines, to which the other replies that he did not. There was no further explanation in the conversation, and the data showed that neither pilot had made a distress call until just seconds before the impact.

Both pilots were experienced. The captain had over 15,000 flying hours, including more than 8,000 on this aircraft type. The co-pilot had more than 3,000 hours. Both were medically fit and had passed preflight checks.

Weather at the time was clear, visibility was good and there was no sign of bird activity or turbulence.

The report describes the physical destruction in detail.

After liftoff, the aircraft clipped trees and a chimney before smashing into the corner of a building. Parts of the aircraft, including both engines, wings, the landing gear and the tail, were flung across nearby buildings. Fire destroyed much of the wreckage. The right engine tore through a rooftop water tank, and the left engine was found embedded in another building’s wall. Investigators also found that the flap and landing gear settings were consistent with normal takeoff procedures. The thrust levers had been in takeoff position until impact, suggesting the crew had not throttled down deliberately.

Despite the level of detail, the report leaves the central mystery unanswered. Why did the fuel control switches move to the off position? These switches are usually located on the centre console between the pilots. They require deliberate hand movement to operate and are not expected to be touched during takeoff. No fault or alarm was recorded before the shutdown.

No one in the cockpit admitted to moving the switches. The flight data suggests they were both moved within a second of each other, which would require extremely coordinated action unless a mechanical or electrical fault occurred.

If the locking mechanism that keeps the switches in “run” was worn out, damaged, or improperly installed, the switches might have slipped to “cutoff” due to vibration or a jolt during takeoff.

This brings into focus a safety bulletin issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2018. That bulletin warned of the possibility that fuel control switches in some Boeing aircraft could be installed in a way that disables their locking feature. This could allow the switches to move unintentionally. The same switch design is used in the crashed aircraft.

Air India did not inspect the switches because the FAA bulletin was advisory, not mandatory. This was allowed under aviation rules. The report does not say whether the switches on this aircraft were later checked to see if they were secure or loose. That is a critical gap.

A similar incident occurred in 2008 when a British Airways Boeing 777 lost engine power just before landing at Heathrow. Ice in the fuel system caused both engines to fail. The crew managed a controlled crash-landing. That incident led to design changes.

Further, an electrical signal fault – like a short in the wiring harness, control module or relay – could have sent an erroneous command to move the switches to cutoff. This is particularly relevant since the report says the throttle control module had been replaced twice in the past and the cockpit’s throttle quadrant was severely damaged in the fire, making post-crash inspection difficult.

Furthermore, the fuel control switches interface with the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC), which manages engine performance automatically. A failure or corrupted input in the FADEC software could, in theory, misinterpret sensor data and command an engine shutdown – even though this would contradict built-in protections. If both FADECs interpreted false data simultaneously, only then could it trigger near-simultaneous cutoffs.

The deployment of the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine, a backup device that provides emergency power, shows how sudden the situation became. This turbine only deploys when both engines are lost. It was seen popping out of the aircraft just seconds after takeoff, before the aircraft even cleared the airport boundary. The timing indicates an immediate and total loss of engine power.

The aircraft had passed all airworthiness checks. Some non-critical systems, such as the flight deck printer and a surveillance camera, were marked as non-functional. These were allowed to remain inoperative under aviation rules and have no known bearing on the crash. The engines were relatively new, installed in the months leading up to the flight, and there were no reported issues with the fuel system.

The investigation is continuing.

Under international rules set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), countries are required to publish a preliminary report within 30 days of an accident.

This first report is meant to give factual information: the sequence of events, aircraft type, crew qualifications, weather conditions, data recorder status and any known physical or technical evidence. It is not expected to include conclusions or analysis of the root cause.

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