Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Experts Raise Questions Over Fuel Switch Malfunction as Investigation Deepens | ABP NEWS

In the aftermath of the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12, which killed nearly all passengers except one, new revelations from the preliminary investigation continue to raise critical questions. According to the report, the aircraft received clearance for takeoff at 1:37:33 PM and crashed within 32 seconds. The core issue identified so far is the sudden shutdown of both engines due to fuel control switches moving to the "cut-off" position. Experts, including aviation analyst Prashant Dhalla, emphasized that the fuel switches are not easily turned off and include a mechanical safeguard. The recorded conversation between the pilots suggests confusion, with one denying switching off the controls. Notably, both pilots—Capt. Clive Kundar and Capt. Sumit Sabharwal—were highly experienced and had logged hundreds of flying hours. The bigger question arises from a 2018 FAA advisory that had flagged issues with such fuel control mechanisms. However, since it wasn’t mandatory, Air India did not act on it. Investigators are now looking into human error, system design flaws, and training protocols. With only seconds to react, pilots attempted to restart the engines, but lacked the altitude and time to recover. The final report is expected to uncover deeper insights.