Air India Crash: Fuel Cut-Off Seconds After Takeoff Leaves Families Stunned
Families are demanding answers after a preliminary report revealed that fuel to both engines was shut off seconds after takeoff in the Air India crash that killed 260 people. A cockpit recording showed confusion between the pilots over the cut-off, raising questions about whether the tragedy was avoidable.
Enet
Families of the victims of the Air India crash have been left reeling after a preliminary investigation revealed that fuel supply to both engines was cut off just seconds after takeoff.
The London Gatwick-bound flight crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on 12 June, claiming the lives of 260 people.
A preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), part of the ongoing inquiry into the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, found that the fuel control switches had been moved to the "cut-off" position shortly after liftoff.
The 15-page report also includes cockpit audio capturing a conversation between the pilots moments before the crash. One pilot is heard asking, “Why did you cut off?”—to which the other replies, “I didn’t.”
The findings have deepened the anguish of grieving relatives. Badasab Syed, 59, who lost his younger brother Inayat Syed, 49, along with his sister-in-law and their two children, told the BBC he’s now left with more questions than answers, wondering if the crash could have been prevented.
Of the 242 people on board flight AI171 to London, 241 died, including 53 British nationals. The aircraft struck a student hostel at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, killing several students and residents on the ground. The sole survivor was a British-Indian man seated in 11A.
