‘I didn’t cut off fuel’: Cockpit exchange of Air India pilots before crash

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has published its initial report regarding the June 12 Air India disaster in Ahmedabad, which resulted in 260 fatalities. Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner heading for London Gatwick, crashed moments after departing from Ahmedabad airport.

The 15-page report from the AAIB details important technical occurrences and cockpit dialogues that occurred prior to the crash. During a haunting exchange recorded on the cockpit voice recorder, one of the pilots of the tragic Air India Boeing 787 that went down in Ahmedabad on June 12 is heard inquiring,  “Why did you cutoff (the fuel)?” The other pilot responded, “I did not do so,” according to the preliminary report released by AAIB.

This brief but critical exchange occurred just after both engines shut down in-flight, seconds after take-off. The report reveals that both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF within a second of each other, cutting fuel supply and initiating a fatal chain of events.

Both fuel cutoff switches were shifted from RUN to CUTOFF within one second of takeoff, disabling both engines in-flight. This concurrent shutdown halted fuel delivery and caused both engines to lose power in-flight. The plane collided with the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad moments after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all 260 people on board and on the ground. Out of the 260 fatalities, 241 consisted of passengers and crew, whereas 19 were ground victims.

The plane attained a maximum speed of 180 knots before both engines experienced a loss of thrust at the same time. The quick decline in speed and height occurred almost right after the fuel switches were turned on.

CCTV footage revealed the Ram Air Turbine activating right after takeoff – an emergency mechanism activated by loss of power. The RAT usually engages when power is lost, indicating that the engines had turned off while airborne.

Following the initial cutoff, both fuel switches were returned to RUN; one engine momentarily stabilized, while the other could not recover. Engine 2 exhibited temporary recovery, while Engine 1 could not stabilize, and thrust was lost.

Investigators discovered no signs of bird activity in the vicinity of the flight path, eliminating it as a potential cause. This ruled out bird strike as a reason for the twin engine failure post take-off.

Although throttles remained in the takeoff position until impact, both were discovered in the idle position after the crash because of thermal damage. The AAIB indicated this was probably caused by significant thermal damage following the crash.

The aircraft’s forward Extended Airframe Flight Recorder (EAFR) was retrieved and downloaded successfully. Nonetheless, the rear EAFR suffered such severe damage that data could not be retrieved using standard methods.

Components of concern have been isolated; currently, no advisory has been provided to Boeing or GE engine operators.