Air India Crash: Fuel Switch Confusion and Pilot's Final Exchange Revealed

Preliminary Findings on Air India Crash

• ✈️ A preliminary probe report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people focuses on the fuel control switches being moved to the cut-off position moments before impact.
• 💡 This switch transition is identified as a potential key to understanding the events of flight AI71.

Engine Fuel Switch Mechanics

• ⚙️ Fuel switches regulate fuel flow to aircraft engines and have two modes: 'run' and 'cut-off'.
• ⚠️ Flipping to 'cut-off' immediately stops fuel to the engines, typically used for turning off engines at the gate or in emergencies like engine fires.
• ❓ The report does not specify any emergency that would have necessitated an engine cut-off.

Cockpit Confusion and Pilot Exchange

• 💬 A critical exchange from the cockpit voice recording reveals one pilot asking, "Why did you cut off the fuel?" with the other replying, "I did not."
• ⏱️ This conversation occurred moments after both engine fuel switches transitioned from 'run' to 'cut-off'.
• 🧑‍✈️ The pilots involved were Captain Sumit Saburval and First Officer Clive Kundal, both experienced.

Attempts to Recover and Final Moments

• ⚡ After the exchange, pilots attempted to move the switches back to 'run', and an automatic relight was initiated.
• 📉 Engine one briefly responded, but engine two did not recover, making it impossible to maintain thrust.
• 🚨 The RAM air turbine (RAT) was deployed, and a Mayday call was issued, but there was no response from the plane when the air traffic controller attempted to confirm.
• 💥 The aircraft lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a medical college hostel, resulting in an explosion and the deaths of 259 people on board and 19 on the ground.

Warnings and Unanswered Questions

• ⚠️ A US FAA bulletin had previously warned of a potential malfunction in the Boeing 787's fuel control locking switch, but Air India reportedly did not carry out the recommended inspection.
• 🤔 The report does not assign blame to Boeing, and there is no current indication of sabotage.
• ❓ The root cause of the accident, the deadliest aviation disaster in a decade, remains unclear pending the final report.