A pilot raises uncomfortable questions

Could the fuel switches have moved on their own? Could a short circuit or software glitch be the cause? Was there any unnoticed fault during maintenance or in the throttle control system? Could human error have played a role? Or was there a previously unknown issue with this aircraft model?

When Air India flight AI 171 lifted off from Ahmedabad on June 12, the skies were clear, the aircraft sound and the engines roaring. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had just begun its journey to London when, barely airborne, it fell out of the sky. The crash killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 more on the ground. One passenger, miraculously, survived.

The government’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a preliminary report, which, although not final, provides some crucial early findings.

The aircraft was fully certified, recently maintained and cleared for the flight. There was no bad weather, no signs of a bird strike and no last-minute technical complaints that would explain what went wrong. So, what happened?

According to the flight recorder data, the aircraft began take-off normally. The engines were running at full power, and the aircraft lifted smoothly off the runway. It reached a speed of about 180 knots (roughly 333 km/h) and had already become airborne. Then, something extraordinary and highly unusual occurred.

Both engines shut down, not because of a fault or an external event but because the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. This happened within just a few seconds of take-off. The investigation found that both fuel control switches, which regulate fuel flow to the engines, were moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” within one second of each other. This action prevents fuel from reaching the engines, effectively shutting them down.

The mystery

Typically, these switches are only used at the beginning of a flight to activate the engines and at the end to turn them off. During mid-flight, they are never touched unless there’s a serious emergency that requires shutting down an engine, such as a fire. Even then, only one engine would be shut down, not both. The switches have a locking feature to prevent accidental movement. However, in this case, both switches were moved during the initial climb, just seconds after take-off. Why?

This is the central mystery the investigators seek to solve. If neither pilot intentionally moved the switches, how did they end up changing position? The cockpit voice recorder captured a surprised exchange between the pilots: one asked the other why he cut the fuel, and the other said he didn’t. This brief conversation suggests that neither of them intended to do so. It’s possible that a mechanical failure, an electrical problem, or some other unexplained anomaly caused the switches to move. But so far, there is no clear explanation.

Interestingly, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously issued a safety bulletin regarding the potential disengagement of the switch locking mechanism on some Boeing models. However, this bulletin was not mandatory, and Air India had not conducted any specific checks related to it. This may be relevant or not, but it indicates that this kind of issue was previously flagged, at least in theory.

After the switches were moved to the cutoff position, the engines immediately lost power. About ten seconds later, the switches were returned to “RUN” mode, likely by the pilots or automatically by the system. The left engine began to recover. The right engine also tried to restart but did so more slowly. By that point, the aircraft was too low and too slow to stay airborne.

Another sign of complete engine failure was the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT). This is a small wind-driven device that extends from the aircraft body to produce emergency hydraulic and electrical power when both engines fail. Its appearance confirmed that both engines were not generating power at that critical moment.

At 08:09 AM UTC, the pilot issued a “Mayday” distress call. Seconds later, the aircraft crashed into the hostel complex of BJ Medical College, just outside the airport. Investigators found pieces of the wings, engines, tail and landing gear scattered across six buildings. Despite the fire damage, the forward flight recorder survived, and its data has been downloaded with the help of US experts and equipment.

No action on Boeing

The crash investigators have not yet recommended any actions for the Boeing 787 or the GE engines. This indicates that no design flaw or known technical issue has been confirmed so far. The aircraft had proper certifications, was within weight limits, and carried no hazardous cargo. The pilots were well-rested and experienced. Nothing abnormal was recorded before take-off.

So, what are we left with? A plane in good condition. Good weather. A safe runway. A normal take-off. And then, a total loss of engine power after a sudden and unexplained interruption in fuel supply. The sequence happened too quickly for the pilots to take effective corrective action. And they seem just as confused in the last few seconds of the flight as everyone else is now.

This raises some uncomfortable questions. Could the fuel switches have moved on their own? Could a short circuit or software glitch be the cause? Was there any unnoticed fault during maintenance or in the throttle control system? Could human error have played a role? Or was there a previously unknown issue with this aircraft model?

Until the final report is released, we will not know for sure. Aircraft crash investigations are slow and careful. Every component, every millisecond of data, every line of cockpit conversation is being parsed. They need to be.

As an experienced professional, I encourage everyone to resist the urge to speculate, especially when the flight crew has been lost in the accident. As more details of the investigation become available, the potential cause of the crash will gradually come into focus. In aviation, jumping to conclusions too soon often causes confusion rather than clarity.

(The writer is a veteran pilot who served with the Indian Air Force and later flew for Jet Airways. Views personal.)