The crash of Air India Flight AI171 has sparked extensive debate across traditional media, aviation forums, and social media platforms. Numerous theories have emerged, ranging from deliberate pilot action to a catastrophic electrical failure of the Boeing 787. Many of these assertions have been presented with a degree of certainty that is not supported by the available evidence.
This article aims to distinguish between facts, inferences, possibilities, and speculation currently circulating among a biased group seeking to interfere with and hijack a coherent, non-partisan analysis.
A review of the preliminary investigation findings, the known Boeing 787 system architecture, historical service experience, and publicly available technical information indicates that the immediate cause of the loss of thrust is known, but the root cause remains under investigation.
The currently available evidence establishes that both engines lost fuel supply shortly after take-off, following the transition of both fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF. What remains unknown is why those switches changed state.
At present, no publicly available evidence conclusively supports either a pilot-action scenario or a mechanical, electrical, or software malfunction.
What Is Established
The preliminary investigation has established the following sequence:
1. The aircraft departed normally.
2. Shortly after liftoff, both fuel control switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF.
3. Fuel supply to both engines was interrupted.
4. Both engines began shutting down.
5. The switches subsequently returned to RUN.
6. Engine relight sequences commenced.
7. Some engine recovery occurred, but insufficient thrust was available to prevent impact.
8. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed during the event.
9. Cockpit voice recordings captured an exchange in which one pilot questioned the other regarding the fuel cutoff action, while the other denied having done so.
These facts are derived from recorded flight data and cockpit voice recorder information and therefore constitute the most reliable evidence currently available. However, a more detailed and authentic sequence of events may be compiled from EAFR data and AAIB's ancillary investigations.
What Is Not Yet Established
The investigation has not yet determined:
1) Why did the fuel control switches transition to CUTOFF?
2) Whether the switch movement resulted from human action.
3) Whether the switch movement resulted from a mechanical failure.
4) Whether an electrical malfunction contributed to the event.
5) Whether a software or avionics malfunction contributed to the event.
6) Whether any prior maintenance discrepancies played a role.
7) Whether any design vulnerability exists within the fuel control system.
8) Which pilot made which statement on the cockpit voice recording?
Consequently, any claim that the accident has already been solved is premature.
Understanding the Fuel Control Switches:
a) The Boeing 787 fuel control switches are critical cockpit controls used to start and shut down the engines.
b) Moving a switch from RUN to CUTOFF commands fuel flow to cease, resulting in engine shutdown.
c) The significance of the preliminary findings cannot be overstated:
d) The accident sequence was not initiated by a spontaneous engine flameout, compressor stall, bird strike, or fuel exhaustion. The available data indicate that fuel supply was interrupted following the switch transition.
The central investigative question, therefore, becomes:
Why did the switches transition from RUN to CUTOFF?
The Boeing 787 and Historical Electrical Issues
The Boeing 787 has experienced several well-documented electrical-system issues throughout its service life.
These include:
a) Lithium-ion battery failures.
b) Battery thermal runaway events.
c) Electrical power panel issues.
d) Generator control problems.
e) Electrical distribution faults.
f) Software-related system anomalies.
These issues are part of the aircraft's documented service history and should not be ignored. However, an important distinction must be maintained. The presence of historical electrical problems does not automatically establish a link to AI171.
Accident investigation requires a demonstrable causal chain. At present, no publicly released evidence shows that any known Boeing 787 electrical failure mode can independently move both fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF.
The historical record, therefore, establishes only that electrical problems have occurred. on the 787—not that they caused this accident.
Could an Electrical Failure Have Caused the Event?
The possibility cannot be ruled out at present.
Modern transport aircraft rely extensively on electrical signalling, digital control systems, and electronic engine management. A hypothetical common-mode electrical failure affecting multiple systems is therefore technically conceivable.
However, no evidence has yet been released demonstrating:
a) Simultaneous failure of both engine control systems.
b) Electrical commands that could independently reposition both fuel switches.
c) Wiring failures affecting both engines in a manner consistent with the recorded sequence.
d) Avionics failures producing the observed switch transitions.
For such a theory to become credible, investigators would need to identify physical evidence from recovered components, wiring, electronic modules, maintenance records, or system fault logs.
No such evidence has been made public. Accordingly, an electrical-failure explanation remains a hypothesis rather than a conclusion.
The FADEC Theory
A widely circulated claim holds that an electrical fault caused the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system to shut down both engines. This explanation faces significant technical challenges. The FADEC controls engine operation, fuel metering, and engine protection functions. It can command an engine shutdown under specific circumstances.
However, there is currently no publicly documented Boeing 787 architecture showing the FADEC physically moving the cockpit fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF. The available evidence indicates that the switches themselves changed state.
Therefore, investigators must determine whether:
a) The switches were moved manually.
b) The switches suffered a mechanical malfunction.
c) The switch position was incorrectly recorded.
d) An unidentified system anomaly occurred.
At present, the FADEC theory remains unsupported by publicly available evidence.
The 2018 Fuel Switch Advisory
Considerable attention has focused on a 2018 FAA advisory concerning fuel control switch locking mechanisms. The advisory raised concerns about switch-locking features and inspection practices. It is relevant because it shows that fuel switch reliability had previously attracted regulatory attention.
However, several important facts must be noted:
a) The advisory did not result in an Airworthiness Directive requiring immediate fleet-wide action.
b) The condition was not formally classified as an unsafe condition requiring a mandatory modification.
c) The AI171 preliminary report does not conclude that this issue caused the accident.
The existence of the advisory, therefore, justifies further investigation but does not establish causation.
Recent Fuel Switch Events
Reports have emerged of fuel control switch anomalies on other aircraft, including incidents involving Air India aircraft. These reports demonstrate that switch-related abnormalities are not purely theoretical. However, accident investigation requires more than similarity. The existence of another switch-related event does not prove that the same mechanism occurred on AI171. Investigators will need to establish a direct evidentiary link before any such conclusion can be drawn.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder Evidence
The CVR excerpt has sparked extensive speculation. The reported exchange indicates that one pilot questioned the other about the fuel cutoff action and was denied. This information establishes only one thing with certainty: at least one pilot appeared surprised or confused by the fuel cutoff event.
The exchange does not establish:
a) Intentional action.
b) Accidental action.
c) Mechanical failure.
d) Electrical failure.
e) Sabotage.
f) Suicide.
Without the complete CVR transcript, cockpit context, crew actions, and synchronised flight data, the exchange cannot support definitive conclusions.
The Claim That the Captain Was Found Holding the Controls
A frequently repeated claim is that the captain's body was recovered with both hands on the controls, supposedly proving that he was attempting to save the aircraft. No official investigative document currently available supports this assertion. Even if such information were eventually verified, it would not establish causation. Pilots confronted with an emergency would be expected to attempt recovery regardless of how the emergency originated. Accordingly, this claim has little investigative value and should not be relied upon.
RAT Deployment and Its Significance
The deployment of the Ram Air Turbine is an important factual point. The RAT provides emergency power when normal electrical generation is unavailable.
What remains uncertain is the precise timing relationship among:
a) RAT deployment,
b) Engine power loss,
c) Fuel switch transitions,
d) Electrical system status.
Numerous commentators have attempted to construct alternative timelines from CCTV footage and other observations. Such reconstructions remain speculative until validated against synchronised flight-recorder data. Consequently, RAT deployment should currently be regarded as an important investigative clue rather than as evidence supporting any particular theory.
Common Errors in Public Commentary
Several recurring analytical errors are evident in public discourse:
Error 1: Assuming Possibility Equals Proof
An electrical fault could theoretically cause unusual system behaviour.
That does not mean it did.
Error 2: Assuming Historical Problems Explain Current Events
The existence of previous 787 electrical issues does not establish a link to AI171.
Each accident requires independent proof.
Error 3: Treating Absence of Evidence as Evidence
The lack of evidence for one theory does not automatically validate another.
Error 4: Interpreting Partial Information as Complete Information
The public has access only to selected excerpts from a much larger body of evidence.
Investigators possess substantially more information than has been released.
Current Assessment
Based on all publicly available evidence, the following conclusions are justified:
Supported by Evidence
1) Fuel supply to both engines was interrupted.
2) Both fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF.
3) The switches later returned to RUN.
4) Engine relight attempts were made.
5) The RAT was deployed.
6) The crew attempted to recover the aircraft.
7) The root cause of the switch transition remains unknown.
Not Supported by Evidence
1) Deliberate pilot action has been proven.
2) Pilot suicide has been proven.
3) Boeing 787 electrical faults caused the accident.
4) FADEC autonomously moved the switches.
5) The 2018 FAA advisory caused the accident.
6) Mechanical switch failure caused the accident.
7) The CVR exonerates the crew.
8) The CVR incriminates the crew.
Conclusion
The preliminary investigation has identified the immediate cause of the loss of thrust: interruption of the fuel supply following the transition of both fuel control switches from RUN to CUTOFF.
The most important question—why those switches changed state—remains unanswered.
At present, neither the pilot-action hypothesis nor the mechanical, electrical, or software-failure hypotheses has been substantiated by publicly available evidence.
A disciplined investigative approach requires resisting the temptation to fill evidentiary gaps with speculation. Until the component examinations, system analyses, maintenance reviews, and the final accident report are complete, the cause of the switch transition must remain undetermined.
The available evidence supports caution rather than certainty.
Author: GR Mohan
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