When the preliminary report into the crash of Air India Flight 171 – which killed 260 people in June – was released, many hoped it would bring some measure of closure.
Instead, the 15-page report further stoked speculation. For, despite the measured tone of the report, one detail continues to haunt investigators, aviation analysts and the public alike.
Seconds after take-off, both fuel-control switches on the 12-year-old Boeing 787 abruptly moved to “cut-off”, cutting fuel to the engines and causing total power loss – a step normally done only after landing.
