New Delhi — An initial investigation of the tragic Air India crash that claimed all 260 lives has revealed that fuel supply switches were switched off moments before power went out and it came crashing to earth.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued its initial accident summary, providing more insight into what may have caused an Airbus A310 flight from Mumbai to Delhi to crash near Nagpur on June 28. Investigators believe both engine flameouts occurred after both fuel supply valves were manually shut off midflight — something they deem “highly unusual and deeply troubling”.
Analyses of cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) recordings suggest that approximately eight minutes before its crash, both engines stopped receiving fuel and experienced complete power loss resulting in systems failure that prevented communication with air traffic control or an attempt at emergency landing by pilots.
“No distress call was received, which reflects a rapid systems shutdown,” according to the DGCA report. The aircraft descended in glide mode for nearly six minutes before impacting a densely wooded area approximately 35 kilometers south of Nagpur.
While the investigation remains open-ended, its report has generated widespread concern within the aviation industry. Officials state that manually shutting off both fuel supply switches is against standard operating procedures and cannot be explained away due to accidental handling or technical failure without additional evidence.
Former colleagues praised this captain of over 16,000 flight hours for his professionalism and discipline, according to an Air India spokesperson. We are working closely with both DGCA and international aviation safety authorities in determining what went wrong.”
Remarkably, early maintenance records show that the aircraft had passed its latest inspection just one week prior to its crash without showing any sign of mechanical issues.
“This is an exceptional and complex case,” noted aviation safety analyst Vikram Desai. Fuel valve switches are situated securely within the cockpit and never turned off during flight; investigators must consider all possibilities — such as human error, system malfunction, and external interference — when searching for answers.
The DGCA has requested help from Airbus engineers and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in reconstructing the aircraft’s final moments using advanced simulation tools, with a full report expected within months.
Family members of those killed continue to demand answers, holding candlelight vigils and public demonstrations across India in memory of those lost in what is considered one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in its history.
“All we want is the truth,” stated a relative of one of the passengers on board this flight. They were just ordinary people taking an ordinary flight when something terrible went wrong and we deserve an explanation as to why this occurred.
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