The Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad has forcefully brought into center stage an uncommon but vital technical problem with the fuel control switches, a system central to the safety of contemporary commercial aircraft.
Both the engines of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner shut down nearly at the same time, soon after takeoff, as per several investigation reports. Cockpit voice recordings show an instant of confusion: one pilot questioned the cutting of the fuel, and both denied making the move. Investigators, after the crash, found that the fuel control switches were both set in the "off" (cutoff) position, shutting off fuel to the engines and causing the loss of thrust by the plane and subsequent crash.
The fuel control switches are out of the way, on the sides of the pilot seats, under metal guards and with a spring-loaded locking device. To move them from "run" to "cutoff" is a positive action: they must be pulled up and moved, something that is thought to be extremely unlikely to occur by accident or through some minor system failure.
The switches are meant to be used only for shutting down engines on the gate or in particular emergency procedures, but not during flight.
General consensus among aviation experts: The majority of experts hold that the design and safety aspects render accidental or automatic shifting of both switches virtually impossible. Captain Ranganathan and safety inspector David Saucie have said these could only be shifted "by a person", either by mistake or by deliberate action, with some invoking cockpit procedure that would inform both pilots of such an action.
Alternate explanations: Yet, the inquiry has not yet conclusively eliminated technical failure. A 2018 FAA advisory cautioned of rare, possible defects in the locking mechanism of the fuel switch on some Boeing aircraft. Others propose a malfunctioning electrical signal, chip error, or other technical malfunction could have been involved, an explanation that won't be eliminated until the last forensic data and maintenance history are explored thoroughly.
Aviation regulators warn: India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and global regulators emphasize that it's premature to make definitive statements. Regulators ordered fleet-wide checks on similar aircraft fuel switch systems and called for caution until a final report is released.
The AI171 disaster, India's worst in a decade, has prompted immediate scrutiny of cockpit switch protections, pilot training, and possible latent technical defects. The acute confusion that can be heard in the cockpit, the absence of firm explanations on exactly how the switches were thrown, and the catastrophic result have turned this accident into a benchmark for the current global debate on aviation safety and human-machine interface risk.
While investigations continue, the story of AI171 serves as a stark reminder of the sophistication of contemporary flight systems and the potential for disaster even in the most secure cockpit operations when human or technological failure occurs.