Air India incident: Investigators examine ‘un-commanded switch transition’ of fuel controls on AI 171 — What this indicates

Air India incident: Investigators examine ‘un-commanded switch transition’ of fuel controls on AI 171 — What this indicates

 

Air India incident: Investigators examine ‘un-commanded switch transition’ of fuel controls on AI 171 — What this indicates

The AAIB report published on July 12 stated that the Air India flight headed for London encountered a “fuel cut-off” just moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (VAAH) on June 12.

Investigation into the Air India-Boeing crash: Following the release of the AAIB report, a news source indicated that investigators are looking into potential issues with the aircraft's electrical and software systems, which may have led to “uncommanded” behavior.

“The investigation will determine the likelihood of an ‘un-commanded transition’ of the fuel control switches to the off position shortly after takeoff,” sources informed 

‘Fuel cut-off’: Insights from the AAIB report regarding the Air India crash

The AAIB report made available on July 12 mentioned that the flight to London faced a “fuel cut-off” only seconds after leaving Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (VAAH) on June 12.

As indicated by the cockpit voice recorder, the pilot denied the action of shutting off the fuel. One pilot was overheard asking, “Why did you cut off?” and the other responded, “I did not do that.”

In the cockpit, two switches are responsible for managing the fuel supply to the engine. The transition to “cut-off” is generally executed only after the aircraft has landed.

Pilots use these switches to initiate or turn off engines when on the ground or to manually shut down or restart engines in case of in-flight engine failure. Aviation specialists assert that it is unlikely for a pilot to inadvertently adjust the fuel switches that supply the engines.

To activate the fuel supply, the switch must be pulled out and moved to a “RUN” position, where it locks back into place. To deactivate the fuel supply, the switch needs to be pulled out once more, shifted to the “CUTOFF” position, and then released again.

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July 17, 2025 at 03:39PM