The last exchange before Air India crash: Pilot asked ‘why did you cut off fuel switch?’

A brief exchange between the two pilots of the Air India Ahmedabad-London flight hints at the possible cause of the crash that killed 260 people on June 12.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report, stating that a dual-engine shutdown of the aircraft seconds after takeoff caused the crash. The 15-page-long report also noted that Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF within one second of each other.

Read the key findings of the report
here

The cockpit voice recorder shed light on the last exchange between the two pilots, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder. After discovering that the cutoff switches had been transitioned, one pilot can be heard asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the second pilot responds that he did not.

Pilots well-rested before flight

The report noted that both pilots, based in Mumbai, arrived in Ahmedabad a day before the flight schedule, that is, on June 11. They were well-rested before the journey and had undergone a Breath Analyser test, like the rest of the crew, which found them fit to operate the aircraft.

The aircraft had 54,200 kg of fuel on board, and according to the load and trim sheet, its take-off weight was 213,401 kg, well within the maximum allowable limit of 218,183 kg for the given conditions. No dangerous goods were listed on board.

No report of sabotage

AAIB has highlighted that the initial probe into the crash has not provided any evidence for a possible sabotage.

Samples of the fuel from bowsers and tanks of the aircraft were sent to the DGCA’s lab for testing and were found fit for use.

The report noted that weather conditions at the time of the crash were normal, with clear skies, good visibility, and light winds. It also confirmed that the pilots were medically fit, well-rested, and had sufficient experience flying the aircraft type.