A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) reveals that an engine fuel switch malfunction caused chaos on board the doomed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner just seconds after takeoff. The investigation found that the fuel control switches suddenly flipped from “run” to “cutoff” mid-flight, resulting in a loss of thrust.
The report, released last month, shows cockpit voice recordings where one pilot asks another “why did he cutoff,” only for the other to respond they didn’t do so. The voices were not attributed to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal or co-pilot Clive Kundar.
Investigators found that both fuel switches were in the “run” position at the crash site, indicating the engines automatically relit but could not quickly reverse the plane’s rapid loss of thrust. The incident has raised questions about the design and placement of critical fuel cutoff switches on Boeing aircraft.
Air India confirmed receiving the AAIB report and said it would continue cooperating with investigators. A more detailed report is expected in 12 months.
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/doomed-air-india-flight-lost-engine-fuel-mid-flight-cockpit-chaos-revealed-report