On June 12, 2025, we saw an Air India Boeing 787 crash after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing hundreds. This is the most fatal aviation accident in roughly a decade, and it’s also one of the most mysterious. What would cause a Boeing 787 to essentially fall out of the sky just seconds after takeoff?
Well, we now have our most significant update yet, as Jon Ostrower at The Air Current has a major scoop about the investigation (The Air Current does an amazing job with aerospace reporting, and is worth subscribing to, though safety related articles aren’t behind a paywall)…
Boeing 787 engine fuel control switches being examined
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the investigation into the crash of Air India flight AI171. Admittedly investigations take time, but the AAIB hasn’t done a good job being transparent or communicative with the public about its investigation.
The expectation is that a preliminary report will be released later this week, in line with international standards, which require a report within 30 days of an accident. Now, that will likely just recap the facts of the accident, rather than actually drawing any conclusions, or telling us the cause of the accident. However, we now have a better sense as to what might have been a factor.
The current investigation into the crash has reportedly been narrowed to focus on the movement of the engine fuel control switches, based on an analysis of the flight and voice data recorders. The flight data recorder captures the position of those switches, suggesting that they were moved in a way that was unusual, or may have contributed to this.
The data available to investigators reportedly doesn’t indicate that there was a design issue with the jet as such, or the engines. The accident analysis has also shown no signs of fuel contamination, or improper retraction of the flaps. The fact that we haven’t seen any sort of emergency directives issued for the aircraft also suggests the accident isn’t believed to be indicative of a larger issue with the plane, at least as of now.
Based on the available data so far, investigators can’t rule in or our improper, inadvertent, or intentional actions, leading to the lack of thrust. It’s expected that it will take months to analyze details surrounding the movement of the engine fuel control switches.
What would cause engine fuel control switch issues?
Engine fuel control switches just have two settings — RUN and CUTOFF — and are ordinarily only adjusted on the ground, either when the engines are being started up or shut down. They can also be used in the air to shut down an engine, if there’s an engine failure.
Switching the fuel control switch from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” immediately stops the fuel from flowing to the engine, causing the engine to immediately shut down, and lose thrust.
The fuel cutoff switches are located underneath the Dreamliner’s throttle handles, and are protected with brackets, to prevent their accidental movement. A metal stop lock mechanism also requires the crew to lift each switch past the stop in order to move it.
This is all a major clue, but of course it doesn’t actually tell us why pilots would’ve moved these switches. Using these switches would be standard in the case of an engine failure, though you’d hope that doesn’t happen in the seconds following takeoff, when the ability to recover from a dual engine failure is limited.
Based on the flight data recorder, investigators know the order in which things happened. So the focus on switches rather than the engine thrust prior to the switches being adjusted suggests that the switches weren’t just moved in response to a dual engine failure.
Obviously it raises the question of whether someone deliberately moved these switches, and if so, why they’d do that. I’m not at all suggesting that this is related, but the first thing that came to mind is an October 2023 incident, where an off-duty pilot in the cockpit jumpseat of a Horizon Air Embraer jet attempted to shut down both engines, using these switches.
Fortunately he we stopped. As it turned out, he was having a rough time in his life, and was on psychedelics at the time of the incident. Again, I’m not suggesting that’s in any way related, but it’s the only incident I can think of off the top of my head where a pilot tried to adjust the fuel control switches to sabotage a flight.
Bottom line
The Air India Boeing 787 crash investigation is reportedly focusing on the position of engine fuel control switches in the moments leading up to the crash. These switches can immediately stop the flow of fuel to the engines.
The question is, why would those switches be adjusted during such a critical phase of flight, when there’s no room for recovery? Ordinarily they’d just be used on the ground, or during an engine failure, but not seconds after takeoff, especially if there’s no sign of a dual engine failure prior to that.
It’s anyone’s guess how this investigation evolves, but the focus on the engine fuel control switches is the most significant clue to date.
What do you make of this engine fuel control switch clue?
