Boeing has defended the safety of its fuel switch design following concerns raised in the preliminary report into last month’s Air India Boeing 787-8 crash, which killed 260 people shortly after takeoff.
The aircraft manufacturer, in coordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has told the airlines that no immediate action is required regarding the fuel control switch locks used across multiple Boeing models, including the 787.
The preliminary report published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau found that fuel control switches were moved to “cut-off” position as the aircraft rose from take-off.
The report raised more questions than it answered, with the pilots’ association rejecting claims of pilot error, and grieving families of the victims saying they are “not satisfied” with the findings.
Of the 242 people onboard flight AI171 to London Gatwick on 12 June, 241 were killed, including 53 British nationals. The flight crashed into a hostel complex at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College in Ahmedabad, also killing several students and residents on the ground. Only one passenger – a British-Indian man seated in 11A – survived.
Key Points
- FAA, Boeing say fuel switch locks on 787s are safe
- Pilots Association of India objects to preliminary findings
- Air India crash investigation finds fuel switches cut off moments before impact
- Family member of four killed in Air India crash questions whether tragedy was avoidable
- UK government pledges to review report into tragedy
- Watch: Air India flight ‘was doomed’ without sufficient power, explains Simon Calder
- All we know about the Air India crash probe
India’s pilots' body reject pilot error claim and demand observer role
05:56
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Shweta Sharma
India’s leading pilots' body, ALPA India, has strongly rejected any presumption of pilot error in last month’s fatal Air India crash that claimed 260 lives.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the association called for a “fair, fact-based inquiry” and urged that it be included in the investigation as an observer.
“The pilots’ body must now be made part of the probe, at least as observers,” ALPA India President Sam Thomas told Reuters on Sunday.
The call comes amid scrutiny of the preliminary investigation report, which highlighted the sudden cutoff of fuel to both engines shortly after takeoff.
The report cited cockpit voice recordings in which one pilot asked the other why he had shut off the fuel, only to be told he had not.
The fuel switches had flipped from “run” to “cutoff” almost simultaneously, though the report did not explain how this could have occurred mid-flight.
FAA, Boeing say fuel switch locks on 787s are safe
05:23
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Shweta Sharma
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have privately notified airlines and regulators that fuel switch locks on Boeing aircraft are safe, despite concerns raised in a preliminary report into last month’s Air India crash that killed 260 people.
In a Continued Airworthiness Notification issued on 11 July, the FAA said it did not consider the issue an unsafe condition warranting further directives. Boeing echoed the FAA’s stance in a recent message to operators, stating no further action was needed.
The notification said "although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787."
India’s investigation had cited a 2018 FAA advisory about fuel switch locking mechanisms.
However, both the FAA and Boeing maintain there is no fault in the design.
Indian pilots’ union ALPA India has urged authorities to include it as an observer in the ongoing probe.
Air India fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash
03:00
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Alex Ross
AirIndia, in a statement, said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash.
"AirIndia is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses," it said.
The plane's black boxes — combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders — were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.
Indian authorities had also ordered deeper checks of AirIndia's entire Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet to prevent future incidents. AirIndia has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
Cutoff of fuel switches 'absolutely bizarre'
01:30
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Alex Ross
Aviation expert and former airline pilot Terry Tozer said the engine cut-off switches being switched to off only seconds after takeoff was "absolutely bizarre."
The movement of the fuel control switches allows and cuts fuel flow to the plane's engines.
"Unfortunately, the altitude was so low that the engines were only beginning to recover and they didn't have enough time," Tozer told Sky News.
No safety concerns with fuel switch locks, says US Federal Aviation Administration
Monday 14 July 2025 00:25
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Alex Ross
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.
A preliminary report into the Air India crash said that the fuel switch to the engines had been cut-off after take-off.
The FAA's message to Civil Aviation Authorities said: "Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787."
Boeing also referred to the FAA notification in a Multi-Operator-Message sent to the airlines in the past few days, which said it is not recommending any action, two of the sources with direct knowledge said.
Pictured: Grieving family after Air India plane crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 22:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
UK government pledges to review report into tragedy
Sunday 13 July 2025 21:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
The UK government has said it will review India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report into the tragedy.
On board the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick were 53 British nationals.
A Department for Transport spokesperson told the BBC: "This was a tragic accident, and our thoughts remain with the victims and their families.”
They continued: “The UK welcomes the publication of the Indian Authorities’ preliminary report, and will review this in detail and consider if any action is required.”
Not easy to ‘accidentally’ cut off fuel switches, expert says on Air India crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 20:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
The fuel switches that were cut off before the Air India plane crash are the kind used on every flight, and designed so that this cannot easily "accidentally" happen, an aviation expert has said.
The fuel switches are used at the end of every flight and in emergency scenarios such as a fire, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, Professor Graham Braithwaite said, adding that pilots would generally run through a checklist before turning them off.
He said: "For obvious reasons, the two switches are a distance apart, so not a huge distance, but enough that you couldn't accidentally switch two when you're trying to switch one.
"So it's not like the lights in your house, where they're right next to each other, so there is some space between them.
"They're in that centre console, so that's in between the two pilots, so they can each reach them with the same ease."
Watch: Mourners line streets at funeral of Air India pilot Sumit Sabharwal
Sunday 13 July 2025 19:30
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Rebecca Whittaker
Families of victims left questioning how the tragedy took place
Sunday 13 July 2025 19:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
The findings have left some families of victims questioning how the tragedy took place, and if it was avoidable.
Badasab Syed, 59, who lost his brother, 49-year-old IT professional Inayat Syed, his sister-in-law, and their two children in the crash, said he has just been left with more questions.
He told the BBC: “The report mentions the pilots discussing who turned off fuel and a possible issue with the fuel control switch. We don’t know what that means? Was it avoidable?”
Wife of Air India crash victim calls for justice to be served for those who lost lives in tragedy
Sunday 13 July 2025 18:30
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Rebecca Whittaker
The wife of one of the Air India crash victims has called for justice to be served, for those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
Ayushi Christian, who married Lawrence Christian in 2023 before migrating to the UK, said her husband was in India because he had been performing the last rites of his father. He was on the AI 171 flight to return home to the UK.
Following the release of an initial report into the incident, Ms Christian told the BBC: “It has been one month since the crash, but no action has been taken by the government so far. [The] preliminary investigation report has come out today. Action should be taken against those responsible for the incident.”
Watch: Air India flight ‘was doomed’ without sufficient power, explains Simon Calder
Sunday 13 July 2025 18:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
'Fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe', says Aviation Administration
Sunday 13 July 2025 17:30
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Rebecca Whittaker
The US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing have privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters revealed.
The FAA's notification to Civil Aviation Authorities said: "Although the fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models, the FAA does not consider this issue to be an unsafe condition that would warrant an Airworthiness Directive on any Boeing airplane models, including the Model 787."
Pictured: Injured woman receives treatment following Air India crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 17:00
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Rebecca Whittaker
Recap: Expert claims pilot may have deliberately crashed Air India plane, according to reports
Sunday 13 July 2025 16:30
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Rebecca Whittaker
The pilot may have deliberately crashed the Air India plane, an expert has told Indian media.
Captain Mohan Ranganathan, who is one of India's leading aviation experts, is among the first to raise the possibility that deliberate human action could have caused the tragedy, NDTV reported.
Speaking to the broadcaster, he highlighted the movement of fuel control switches to “cut-off” positions as well as conversations between the pilots, which have been outlined in the newly published findings from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
In response to NDTV’s question over whether one of the pilots could have intentionally switched off the fuel, knowing that this could cause a crash, Captain Ranganathan said: “Absolutely.”
He continued: “It has to be manually done. It cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure because the fuel selectors are not the sliding type. They are designed to stay in a slot, and you have to pull them out to move them up or down. So, the possibility of inadvertently moving them to the ‘off’ position doesn't arise. It's definitely a case of deliberate manual selection to move it to 'off'.”
Watch: The British victims of Air India plane crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 16:00
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Tara Cobham
Air India says it is fully cooperating with investigators
Sunday 13 July 2025 15:30
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Tara Cobham
Air India has said it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the crash.
"Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses," it said in a statement.
India's civil aviation minister warns against 'jumping to conclusions' after initial report
Sunday 13 July 2025 15:02
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Tara Cobham
India's civil aviation minister has warned the report's findings were preliminary and one should not “jump into any conclusions on this”.
"Let us wait for the final report," Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu told reporters.
Why the Air India crash report leaves devastated families with more questions
Sunday 13 July 2025 14:30
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Tara Cobham
Early findings of an investigation into the Air India crash last month have revealed the plane’s fuel switches were cut off after take-off, leaving victim’s families with more questions and seeking “justice and answers”.
The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), published on Friday, said both of the plane’s fuel switches were moved to the “cut-off” position “immediately” after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.
It included a harrowing transcript of a cockpit conversation between the pilots, one asks the other why he cut-off, before the other responded to say he did not.
Rosie Shead and Rebecca Whittaker report:
Watch: Moment British survivor of Air India crash walks out of flames
Sunday 13 July 2025 14:00
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Tara Cobham
Families of victims demand 'justice and answers'
Sunday 13 July 2025 13:33
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Tara Cobham
Families of the victims of the Air India crash have demanded "justice and answers", after a report found the plane's fuel switches were cut off.
In a statement, relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, described the report as "the first stepping stone" and said the family are still "working our way through the weight of our loss."
They added: "Moving forwards, we require honesty, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the full truth.
"We seek justice and answers, both of which are essential for us to find any sense of closure.
"We accept God's fate, but knowing what happened will help ease our hearts and allow us to begin the long journey of healing.
"Above all, we hope that by pursuing the truth, no other family will ever have to endure the shock, uncertainty, and profound sorrow that we have lived through this past month."
Explained: What are fuel switches and why they matter in the Air India crash?
Sunday 13 July 2025 13:00
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Tara Cobham
The first clues from the investigation into the London Gatwick-bound Air India plane that crashed in India’s Ahmedabad last month, killing 260 people, reveal that the aircraft’s engine fuel cutoff switches shut off the fuel supply to the engines almost simultaneously, causing confusion among the pilots.
According to the preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released early Saturday, the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why he had cut off the fuel in the final moments before the crash.
The other pilot responded that he had not done so, the report revealed, raising fresh questions about the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches.
My colleague Arpan Rai reports:
Watch: Family of Air India crash victim say he was 'glue' that held them together
Sunday 13 July 2025 12:30
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Tara Cobham
'Very unusual' if person moved fuel switches before Air India crash, aviation expert says
Sunday 13 July 2025 12:00
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Tara Cobham
If the fuel switches that were cut off before the Air India plane crash were moved by a person, that would have been a "very unusual thing to do" at below 1,000 feet, an aviation expert has said.
Professor Graham Braithwaite, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, said: "It's not the point of flight where you try and call for your coffee, it's a period of flight where your focus is very, very clear, and that first 1,000 feet, it's about keeping the airplane climbing and that's not about clicking switches."
He added: "I could see why a nervous flyer would be nervous at the thought that it's possible to shut both engines down at a critical stage in flight, but for whatever reason, and that there are a number of things that are in place to stop it from accidentally happening."
The aircraft was about 11 years old, the fuel switches had been changed two years ago, and the crash was a "really, really unusual event", Professor Braithwaite said.
Of the next stage of the investigation, he said: "If somebody did wilfully move a switch, then was it on the one hand a wilful active sabotage, in which case the investigation changes considerably, because this safety investigation that published the report yesterday will not be leading on that, that would be a police investigation.
"So that would change at that point, but if it wasn't clear that it was that wilful action, you'd be looking at, well, what kind of mistake might somebody have made?"
Watch: Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane
Sunday 13 July 2025 11:38
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Tara Cobham
Expert claims pilot may have deliberately crashed Air India plane, according to reports
Sunday 13 July 2025 11:04
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Tara Cobham
An expert has claimed a pilot may have deliberately crashed the Air India plane, according to Indian media.
Captain Mohan Ranganathan, who is one of India's leading aviation experts, is among the first to raise the possibility that deliberate human action could have caused the tragedy, NDTV reported.
Speaking to the broadcaster, he highlighted the movement of fuel control switches to “cut-off” positions as well as conversations between the pilots, which have been outlined in the newly published findings from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
In response to NDTV’s question over whether one of the pilots could have intentionally switched off the fuel, knowing that this could cause a crash, Captain Ranganathan said: “Absolutely.”
He continued: “It has to be manually done. It cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure because the fuel selectors are not the sliding type. They are designed to stay in a slot, and you have to pull them out to move them up or down. So, the possibility of inadvertently moving them to the ‘off’ position doesn't arise. It's definitely a case of deliberate manual selection to move it to 'off'.”
Watch: UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes
Sunday 13 July 2025 10:32
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Tara Cobham
Not easy to ‘accidentally’ cut off fuel switches, expert says on Air India crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 10:01
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Tara Cobham
The fuel switches that were cut off before the Air India plane crash are the kind used on every flight, and designed so that this cannot easily "accidentally" happen, an aviation expert has said.
The fuel switches are used at the end of every flight and in emergency scenarios such as a fire, director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, Professor Graham Braithwaite said, adding that pilots would generally run through a checklist before turning them off.
He said: "For obvious reasons, the two switches are a distance apart, so not a huge distance, but enough that you couldn't accidentally switch two when you're trying to switch one.
"So it's not like the lights in your house, where they're right next to each other, so there is some space between them.
"They're in that centre console, so that's in between the two pilots, so they can each reach them with the same ease."
Watch: Air India flight ‘was doomed’ without sufficient power, explains Simon Calder
Sunday 13 July 2025 09:33
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Tara Cobham
Report suggesting pilot error over fuel switch cut off sparks union fury
Sunday 13 July 2025 09:00
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Tara Cobham
A pilots’ union has hit out at the initial report into the Air India crash for raising the possibility of human error.
In a statement issued in response to the preliminary report in to the Air India crash, The Hindu reported the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA-I) said: “The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. ALPA-I categorically rejects this presumption and insists on a fair, fact-based inquiry.”
Full story: Air India crash investigation finds fuel switches cut off moments before impact
Sunday 13 July 2025 08:33
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Tara Cobham
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people last month showed three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released by Indian aviation accident investigators.
One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said.
My colleague Alex Ross has the full story:
Aviation regulator defends the safety of India’s skies following Air India crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 07:51
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Tara Cobham
India’s aviation regulator has defended the safety of the country's skies after questions have been raised in the aftermath of the devastating Air India crash that killed approximately 275 people.
Air India flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad for a journey to London Gatwick on 12 June, yet only moments after takeoff, the Boeing 787crashed into a medical student accommodation.
All but one of the 242 passengers on board died, with further casualties on the ground bringing the death toll to at least 275.
My colleague Amelia Neath reports:
Air India crash likely to trigger India’s biggest aviation insurance payout
Sunday 13 July 2025 07:08
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Arpan Rai
The deadly Air India crash outside Ahmedabad earlier this month could result in the most expensive aviation insurance claim in India’s history, insurance experts say.
Investigators continue to probe what caused the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to plummet into a crowded residential complex into crash in Ahmedabad just 33 seconds after take-off on 12 June.
The total liability could range from $211m to $280m (approximately £166m to £220m), according to estimates reported by Press Trust of India. This includes the full hull value of the aircraft, compensation for victims’ families under international aviation law, and payouts for third-party property damage and loss of life on the ground.
While the airlines’ losses are expected to be covered under aviation “all-risk” insurance, the payouts for passengers are governed by the Montreal Convention, to which India is a signatory.
Is flying safe? The facts and figures after Air India tragedy
Sunday 13 July 2025 06:50
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Arpan Rai
The devastating loss of Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick is an example of an extremely rare event: a large jet crashing on an intercontinental air route.
Many prospective travellers will see the images of the tragedy in India, and three other passenger jet crashes in the past six months, and conclude that aviation is becoming more dangerous.
Yet without diminishing these disasters and the devastating human toll, this remains the safest decade in aviation history.
Such is the obsession with safety among aviation professionals that many risks have been engineered out. The last fatal accident involving a UK passenger jet was in the 1980s.
Fuel error three seconds after take-off revealed in Air India crash preliminary report
Sunday 13 July 2025 06:26
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Arpan Rai
A preliminary report into the Air India crash that killed 260 people last month showed three seconds after taking off, the plane's engines fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff, starving the engines of fuel.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report released by Indian aviation accident investigators.
One pilot can be heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. "The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said.
Air India crash report lacks 'transparency' and important data compared to Ethiopian Airlines crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 06:08
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Arpan Rai
Aviation experts in India monitoring the crash of London Gatwick-bound Air India flight from Ahmedabad have said the preliminary findings are weak compared to other crash reports issued in the past for Boeing aircraft.
“Compared with other high-profile preliminary reports, such as the 33-page Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 (737 MAX) report, the AI 171 report is notably brief and lacking in technical transparency. The ET 302 report included extensive data traces, CVR excerpts, checklists and manufacturer bulletins, enabling stakeholders worldwide to act swiftly,” aviation expert and founder of the NGO Safety Matters Amit Singh told The Hindu.
He added: “In contrast, the AI 171 report reads more like a narrative than a technical investigation and fails to offer the clarity and urgency warranted by such a catastrophic event.”
All we know about the Air India crash probe
Sunday 13 July 2025 05:51
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Arpan Rai
- The AAIB, an office under India's civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the crash, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.
- The report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the 12 June crash raises fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches.
- Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report due 30 days after the accident, according to international rules, and a final report expected within a year.
- The plane's black boxes, combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.
- The report said "all applicable airworthiness directives and alert service bulletins were complied (with) on the aircraft as well as engines".
- Closed-circuit TV footage from Ahmedabad airport earlier showed the Air India plane climbing to 650 feet after take-off before suddenly losing altitude and crashing in a fireball into a nearby building.
Pilots Association of India objects to preliminary findings
Sunday 13 July 2025 05:11
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Arpan Rai
The Pilots’ Association of India has objected to the findings from the preliminary investigation into the London Gatwick-bound Air India plane that crashed last month and said it “presumes the guilt of pilots”.
Captain Sam Thomas, president of Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) India, said: “We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots, and we strongly object to this line of thought.”
"The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair, fact-based inquiry," the captain said.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade released on Saturday by Indian accident investigators.
On Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's Preliminary Report on 12th June AI 171 crash, Airline Pilots' Association of India says, "The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair,… pic.twitter.com/sYh5TW9HwC
— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2025
The Alpa has also said they are surprised at the “secrecy surrounding these investigations” and questioned the qualifications of those involved.
“We are reiterating the fact that suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations”.
The association expressed surprise at the “secrecy surrounding these investigations” and questioned the qualifications of those involved. “We are reiterating the fact that suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations,” the statement read.
What is a ‘black box’ and what can it tell us about the Air India plane crash
Sunday 13 July 2025 04:32
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Arpan Rai
A preliminary report into last month’s Air India plane crash has suggested the aircraft’s fuel control switches were turned off, starving the engines of fuel and causing a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.
The Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in the northwestern city of Ahmedabad.
The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on Saturday, is based on the data recovered from the plane’s black boxes, combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders.
What are black boxes?
The cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder are tools that help investigators reconstruct the events that led up to a plane crash.
They’re orange in colour to make them easier to find in wreckage, sometimes at great ocean depths. They’re usually installed in a plane’s tail section, which is considered the most survivable part of the aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's website.
