‘Why did you cut off fuel?’ — Haunting cockpit words in Air India crash reveal mystery behind engine shutdown

News Network
July 12, 2025

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A month after the tragic Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad that killed over 270 people, a preliminary investigation has revealed a chilling mid-air mystery: the aircraft’s engine fuel switches were inexplicably turned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ just seconds after takeoff—cutting off fuel to both engines and dooming the flight within moments.

In the final moments captured on the cockpit voice recorder, one of the pilots was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other pilot replied, “I didn’t.”

This haunting exchange is now at the centre of India’s worst aviation disaster in decades.

The 15-page report, released Saturday by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), sheds light on a puzzling chain of events aboard the London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12. Data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR) indicates that both engines’ fuel control switches were manually moved to CUTOFF within seconds of each other—an act that immediately terminated fuel supply to the engines.

Startlingly, the switches were then flipped back to RUN, suggesting the pilots tried desperately to recover the aircraft—but it was too late. The voice recorder went silent seconds later. The aircraft was airborne for just 32 seconds.

Shortly after, a panicked MAYDAY call was transmitted by one of the pilots. Air Traffic Control responded, asking for the call sign—but received no answer. Moments later, the aircraft nosedived and exploded outside the airport boundary, crashing into a hostel for medical students. Only one person aboard survived. Nearly 30 people on the ground were also killed.

The report confirms that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a highly experienced Line Training Captain with over 8,200 flying hours, was at the controls. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. Both were certified fit and well-rested.

Investigators found no signs of sabotage but highlighted a known FAA advisory about a potential flaw in fuel control switch installations. A past bulletin warned that switches on some Boeing aircraft may be installed with a disabled locking mechanism—though it was not deemed an "unsafe condition" at the time.

The Ram Air Turbine (RAT), a backup system used in case of dual engine failure, deployed immediately after takeoff, as seen on CCTV footage—confirming total power loss. No bird strike or foreign object interference was observed.

In a chilling parallel, the report recalls a 1980s Delta Air Lines incident in which a pilot accidentally cut off engine fuel—but managed to restart mid-air due to higher altitude. The Air India crew wasn’t so lucky.

The AAIB is expected to conduct deeper forensic analysis into the fuel switch mechanism and crew inputs. Until then, one question echoes louder than ever: “Why did you cut off?”

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News Network
November 21,2025

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Udupi: The Malpe Police have arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sharing classified information related to Indian Navy vessels with individuals in Pakistan, posing a serious threat to national security.

According to a complaint filed by the CEO of Udupi Cochin Shipyard, Malpe—an institution under the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways—the prime accused, Rohit (29), was working as an insulator through subcontractor M/S Shushma Marine Pvt Ltd. He had earlier served at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, where naval ships are under construction.

Udupi SP Hariram Shankar said the accused had unlawfully shared, via WhatsApp, confidential identification numbers of Navy-related ships and other classified details while working in Kerala, allegedly for illegal gains.

After joining the Malpe shipyard unit, Rohit reportedly continued collecting sensitive information through a friend in Kochi and circulated it to unauthorised individuals, violating national security protocols and potentially endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity.

Based on the complaint, Malpe Police registered a case under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A police team led by Karkala Subdivision Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada—along with PSI Anil Kumar D, ASI Harish, and PC Ravi Jadhav—conducted the investigation and arrested the two accused, identified as Rohit (29) and Santri (37), both residents of Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

The duo was produced before the court, which remanded them in judicial custody till December 3. Further investigation is in progress.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

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