Air India Crash Mystery: Who Disabled Fuel Switches if Not Pilots
Debris of Air India Flight crash in Ahmedabad! (Image X.com)
Initial report claims fuel switches transitioned from run to cutoff within one second
By KUMAR VIKRAM
NEW DELHI, July 12, 2025—A day after the Wall Street Journal blamed pilots for the Air India Flight AI171 crash in its report, the initial probe findings released black box data, revealing confusin among pilots on how the fuel switches turned off after the takeoff.
Reuters in a report on basis of the initial probe findings released the black box data. “At 08:08:42 GMT – Aircraft reached max airspeed of 180 knots. Immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec,” said the report, which released the black box data.
It further stated that the switches were restored to the ON mode after a gap of 10 seconds at 0.8.52.00 GMT. The intervening 10 seconds per the black box data suggest utter chaos in the cockpit. The cockpit voice recorder further revealed one pilot asking another – “why did you cut off (fuel switch).” The other pilot replied that he hadn’t cut off.
The initial findings reported by Reuters sought to put pilots in the dock. Experts have stated in their comments on social media platforms that the switches on own could not have been cut off. At the same time, it is rare for switches to be disturbed when the flight is taking off or it’s airborne, said aviation experts.
Also, the initial findings leave one wondering on 10 seconds taken for the two pilots, one with over 15000 hours of flight experience, to restore fuel switches to the ON mode. “Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who had a total flying experience of 15,638 hours,” said the Reuters’ report.
With pilot denying having disturbed the fuel switch, aviation experts wonder the manner in which the fuels to two engines were stopped while the ill-fated flight was taking off. Experts have also suggested that Boeing’s software could also be the culprit, according to a report by The Sunday Guardian.
A section of experts had slammed the WSJ report, claiming that there appears an urgency to exonerate Boeing from the scanner for the Air India Flight AI171 crash.
Aviation enthusiasts and pilots questioned the technical credibility of the claims, highlighting that the fuel cutoff switches on the 787 cockpit have built-in detents and physical guards—making it virtually impossible to accidentally switch off fuel to both engines during flight.
C David wrote: “These switches have a detent that prevents an accidental bump from moving the switch… You can see the guards on either side also.”
Others pointed to previously documented issues with the same aircraft. “Didn’t we have footage from an earlier flight on the very same aircraft in question, showing prior failing electronics in the cabin?” noted @MericanMSCF, referencing viral footage from May showing malfunctioning cabin systems aboard a Dreamliner.
“The plane required the entire runway to take off, suggesting thrust was already compromised before rotation. Turning off the fuel flow seconds after takeoff doesn’t explain this,” aviation analyst Kevin Pfeffer commented, proposing a more complex scenario involving intentional underperformance and weight misreporting.
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