NDTV , in a news broadcast based on this report, revealed that in the voice recording of the cockpit, one pilot was heard asking the other, “Why did you turn off the fuel?”. Then the other pilot replied that he did not do so.
The ‘cut off transition’ point can be an important part of the complex puzzle of the accident that happened on June 12, 2025, in which 270 people lost their lives.
As the data of the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) suggests that the switches of both the engines changed from cutoff to run as soon as the plane took off for London. This shows that the pilots tried to handle the situation. The 787 Dreamliner and other commercial aircraft have more than enough power to fly on a single engine, and pilots are well prepared for this situation.
“When the aircraft is in flight and the fuel control switch is moved from cutoff to run, the full authority dual engine control (FADEC) of each engine automatically manages the ignition and fuel admission, re-ignition and thrust recovery sequence,” the report said. (Part of report)
The recording in the EAFR stopped a few seconds later, shortly after a pilot sent a MAY DAY alert. Air traffic control inquired about the call sign but received no response, and watched as the plane crashed outside the airport boundary.
The fully loaded plane lost altitude rapidly and collided with a dormitory for medical students, where it exploded, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and about 30 people on the ground. The plane was in the air for just 32 seconds in total.
The plane was piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, a line training captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was accompanied by First Officer Clive Kundra, who had logged 1,100 flight hours. The report said both pilots were medically fit and experienced.
The report said that there was no immediate evidence of sabotage but pointed to a known advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about a possible malfunction in the fuel switches. It issued an information bulletin based on reports from operators of model 737 aircraft that the fuel control switches were installed without a locking feature. “This concern was not considered an unsafe condition,” it said.
The report noted that the Ram Air Turbine was deployed soon after takeoff, as seen in airport CCTV footage. It is deployed when there is a dual engine failure or a total electronic or hydraulic failure.
The report said no significant bird activity was observed around the takeoff area. The plane began losing altitude before it crossed the airport perimeter wall. Means , the plane began falling even before it crossed the airport compound wall.
In the 1980s, a Delta Airlines Inc pilot accidentally turned off the fuel to the engines of the Boeing 767 he was flying. But in that case, he was able to restart them as the plane was high in the sky, averting a catastrophe.
