Air India Crash: U.S. Investigators Suspect Fuel Cutoff by Captain, Voice Recording Reveals
WASHINGTON/SEATTLE — A cockpit voice recording from the Air India Flight AI117 crash last month suggests that the aircraft’s captain may have intentionally or inadvertently cut fuel to both engines shortly after takeoff, triggering the deadliest aviation disaster in a decade, according to U.S. officials briefed on the early evidence.
A source familiar with the U.S. assessment told Reuters that the first officer — who was piloting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner — can be heard questioning the captain about switching the fuel controls to the “cutoff” position, effectively starving both engines of fuel. The first officer reportedly asked that the fuel flow be restored, but the engines lost thrust before recovery was possible.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, said the assessment is not part of a formal report but reflects a working theory based on cockpit voice data and flight recorder evidence. Though no video footage exists confirming who physically moved the switches, the conversation strongly points to the captain as the one who flipped them, the source added.
The accident occurred on June 12 near Ahmedabad, India, shortly after the jet lifted off on a scheduled flight to London. Moments after takeoff, closed-circuit TV captured the deployment of a backup ram air turbine, indicating both engines had lost power — an extremely rare occurrence in modern aviation. The aircraft reached just 650 feet in altitude before it began to lose lift and crashed into a building on a nearby medical campus, killing 260 people, including 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
Fuel Switches Flipped Seconds Apart
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the inquiry, confirmed in its preliminary report that the fuel switches for both engines were moved from “run” to “cutoff” within one second of each other. However, the report did not specify how or why the switches were flipped. It also did not identify which pilot made which statements during the exchange captured on the voice recorder.
Investigators named Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had 15,638 and 3,403 flight hours respectively. The AAIB reported that after the switches were restored to “run,” the aircraft attempted to restart the engines automatically, but it was too late. The aircraft was too low and slow to recover, clipping trees and a chimney before crashing into the campus.
Veteran aviation analyst and safety expert John Nance said the sequence of events points clearly to human error. “There is no other rational explanation consistent with the data we have so far,” Nance told Reuters. He added that while pilot error appears likely, investigators still need to examine every potential factor, including systems performance and crew fatigue.
Air India and Boeing Respond
In a company-wide memo, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson noted the preliminary findings show “no mechanical or maintenance faults” with the aircraft. The Dreamliner had undergone all required inspections and servicing prior to the flight. Boeing and engine manufacturer GE have issued private statements to aviation regulators reaffirming the safety of the fuel switch mechanisms on their aircraft.
No formal safety recommendations have been issued yet by the AAIB, and under international protocol, a full report is due within one year of the incident. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is assisting in the investigation, confirmed Chair Jennifer Homendy has been fully briefed on the data extracted from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
“The safety of international air travel depends on learning as much as we can from these rare events,” Homendy said. “And if there are no immediate safety issues discovered, we need to know that as well.”
India’s AAIB pushed back against early media narratives. “Certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting,” the bureau said in a statement, reiterating that the probe remains open.
Renewed Debate Over Cockpit Cameras
The crash has reignited calls for cockpit image recorders on commercial airliners — devices that capture video footage inside the flight deck during flight. While widely supported by safety experts, their adoption has lagged due to pilot union concerns over privacy.
“This is exactly the kind of case where a cockpit camera would have removed all doubt,” Nance said. “It’s tragic that the technology exists, but we still haven’t implemented it.”
As the investigation continues, the aviation world waits for more definitive answers. Until then, families of the victims, regulators, and industry leaders remain focused on determining whether human error, systemic failure, or both played a role in the crash that claimed 260 lives.
Sources:
Wall Street Journal (paywall): https://www.wsj.com
AAIB Preliminary Report (India): https://www.dgca.gov.in/digigov-portal/aircraft-accident-investigation-bureau
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board: https://www.ntsb.gov
Boeing Official Statement: https://www.boeing.com
General Electric Aviation: https://www.ge.com/aviation
