A cockpit voice recording from the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed last month has revealed alarming details, suggesting the captain cut the fuel supply to the jet’s engines, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Wednesday.
Timeline of Key Events in the Crash Investigation:
June 12:
The Air India Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, in what is now the deadliest global aviation accident in a decade.
June 13:
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) launched a full-scale investigation. The multidisciplinary team includes experts in aviation medicine, air traffic control, and representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Each Boeing 787 aircraft is equipped with two black boxes—located at the front and rear of the jet—each containing a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.
June 16:
Both black boxes were successfully recovered from the crash site—one from the rooftop of a nearby building, the other from scattered debris.
June 24–25:
The black boxes were flown to Delhi for analysis. The memory module from the front recorder was successfully accessed. The forward unit contains independent backup power, which can preserve data for up to 10 minutes in case of total power failure.
July 12:
Indian investigators released a preliminary report, stating no faults were found in the aircraft or its General Electric (GE) engines at this stage, with no safety recommendations issued for Boeing or GE.
The report revealed chilling audio from the cockpit:
“One pilot can be heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel.”
“The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
The report did not clarify which pilot made the remarks or who transmitted the “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” distress call before the crash.
July 16:
The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the investigation, reported that the first officer, who was flying the plane, questioned the captain for moving the fuel switches to the ‘cutoff’ position just seconds after liftoff. This critical action may have led to the engine failure that caused the crash.
A final report from Indian authorities is expected within a year of the incident. The ongoing investigation is being closely monitored by international aviation agencies.