According to AAIB’s preliminary findings, two fuel control switches were turned to the “cutoff” position seconds after the aircraft became airborne, starving the engines of fuel. Although the switches were turned back within 10 seconds, it was too late to recover control of the plane.The cockpit voice recorder captured a crucial exchange between the pilots: First Officer Clive Kunder was heard asking Captain Sumeet Sabharwal why he had moved the switches, to which the captain reportedly replied that he hadn’t. The investigators are now focusing on whether the switches were moved inadvertently, deliberately, or due to a possible technical malfunction.No mechanical faults have yet been identified in the Boeing 787 aircraft or its GE Aerospace engines, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered inspections of fuel switch systems across all Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft operating in India, as a precautionary measure.While the AAIB has shared preliminary findings, the final report determining the probable cause and offering recommendations could take a year or longer to be published.
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