The engine fuel control switches of the Air India's ill-fated Boeing 787-8 plane were cut off seconds after of lift off, with one of the pilots asking the other why did he cut off and the latter responding saying he did not do so, according to AAIB. In its 15-page preliminary report on the crash which happened in around 30 seconds of the plane lifting off, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said the fuel control switches were switched on later but the deceleration in one of the engines could not be stopped.

On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 en-route to London Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel complex soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 persons who were onboard the plane. Releasing the report a month after the fatal crash, the AAIB said the aircraft air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode, consistent with liftoff at 08:08:39 UTC (13:38:09 IST).

"The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec," the report said citing the plane's Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR). As per the report, the engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.