'Why did you turn off the fuel?': The conversation between the Air India pilots shortly before the crash that killed 260 people

The preliminary report by India's Air Accidents Investigation Bureau into the crash of Air India Flight 171, which killed 260 people on June 12, was released on Friday (July 11, in Brazil).

It does not draw any conclusions, but the focus of the document is, at least for now, on the actions of the pilots.

In-flight recordings indicate that two fuel control switches, normally used to start or stop the engines on the ground, were switched from the "run" position to the "cutoff" position shortly after takeoff.

This caused a loss of power in both engines.

According to the report, the cockpit voice recording of the Boeing 787-8 shows one of the pilots asking the other why he had turned off the fuel supply.

The other pilot replied that he had not done so.

The identification of each pilot's voices was not specified.

During takeoff, the co-pilot flew the plane, while the captain supervised.

The switches were then returned to their normal position, which would automatically trigger the engine restart process.

In fact, one of the engines had begun to regain thrust at the time of the aircraft's crash. The other was restarted, but had not yet regained thrust.

This change in the switch position almost immediately shuts down the engines, cutting off the fuel supply.

This is typically done when the aircraft arrives at its destination and the engines are shut down.

It's also something used in some emergency situations — but the report doesn't mention that any such scenario occurred with the Air India plane.

The document suggests that no significant flaws were found in the aircraft or its engines. Therefore, the report does not make specific recommendations for operators and manufacturers of the B787-8 or the GE GEnx-1B engine.

What happened to the Air India flight

Air India Flight 171 crashed on June 12 after taking off from the Indian city of Ahmedabad bound for London.

Of the 242 passengers, 241 died and only one survived.

The plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood, killing 19 other people not on board.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner sent a distress signal to air traffic control before crashing into a building serving as medical quarters at a hospital.

There were 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, one Canadian and the 12 crew members on board.

The only survivor on board was British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

"I still can't believe I'm alive," he said.

Fit pilots

The Indian Air Accidents Investigation Bureau report states that before boarding, the crew and pilots were subjected to tests to ensure they were fit to perform their duties.

The two pilots, residents of the Indian city of Mumbai, had arrived in Ahmedabad the day before and had undergone a "adequate rest period".

The pilots and other crew members also took a breathalyzer test, after which they were deemed "fit to operate the flight."

Technical problem or human error?

Archana Shukla, BBC India Business Reporter

One of the points that stands out in the Air India accident report is that, currently, there are no recommendations to be made regarding the aircraft model, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, or its engine, the GE GEnx-1B.

For now, the hypothesis of mechanical failure has been ruled out, but we must wait for more information, as this is only a preliminary report.

In any case, its contents are shocking, especially the fact that both fuel switches were in the position that cuts off the supply.

Many questions remain unanswered.

Is it a technical failure? Was it a software problem? Was it human error?

The results of this report will be analyzed in detail by the families of the victims of this terrible air tragedy, seeking answers and a way to begin looking to the future.