The first details about the Air India crash that killed 260 people have been made public. Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, heading to London Gatwick.
Among the 242 passengers were mostly Indian and British nationals. Only one person survived the crash. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India has been working on the case and released a preliminary report on July 11.
The investigation found that the fuel control switches in the cockpit were turned off, stopping fuel flow to the engines. Data from the black boxes, including flight records and cockpit audio, showed that both engines’ fuel switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF within a second of each other.
The cockpit recording captured a pilot questioning the other about the fuel cutoff, with the other denying responsibility.
Retrieving data was difficult because the black boxes were damaged, requiring careful extraction and expert analysis. Captain Steeeve compared the investigation to untangling a complicated ball of yarn because the events happened so quickly.
More detailed findings will come as the investigation continues, with officials emphasizing the importance of getting the facts right before releasing them to the public.
