A preliminary investigation into last month’s Air India crash, which killed 260 people, has revealed that the fuel cut-off switches in the cockpit were flipped to the ‘off’ position shortly before the plane went down.

Delhi

A preliminary report into the recent Air India crash has revealed that two fuel cut-off switches in the cockpit were flipped to the 'off' position just before the aircraft went down. The incident resulted in the deaths of 260 people, including passengers, crew, and individuals on the ground.

The report, released by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau, noted that both pilots expressed confusion over the switch settings, and it remains unclear how the switches were moved. The captain and co-pilot were both highly experienced. The report did not make recommendations to Boeing or General Electric, and Air India has stated it is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Air India crash: Report reveals likely cause of crash

As Air India's flight lifted off for London from Ahmedabad on June 12th, two fuel cut-off switches flipped almost simultaneously. A few seconds later, one pilot asked, why did you cut off the fuel? The other replied, I did not. A preliminary report into the crash also suggests the fuel was switched back on, but it was too late. The Boeing 787 crashed just beyond the runway. All but one of the 242 people on board were killed, along with 19 others on the ground. Who said what in the cockpit isn't identified in this report. Experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move both fuel switches. It is a real puzzle. If we assume that the pilot who said he did not move them actually did not, then we have a very peculiar technical problem in as much as the switches must have moved on their own and in sequence, one and then two. This seems so unlikely as to be near impossible. The report by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau indicates both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting. The flight captain had more than 15,000 hours of flying experience and was an Air India instructor. The co-pilot had more than 3,000 hours experience. I don't think we should jump into any conclusions on this. I truly believe we have the most wonderful workforce in terms of pilots and the crew in the whole world. The report made no recommendations to either Boeing or General Electric, the engine manufacturers. Air India says it is fully cooperating with the authorities investigating the crash. Bernard Smith, Al Jazeera.

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