32 seconds to disaster: How a routine takeoff turned catastrophic
The crash near Ahmedabad airport killed 241 people on board and 19 on ground. Just one passenger survived.
The report focused on the moments after the takeoff, showing the aircraft's two fuel control switches moved to the 'cutoff' position in quick succession. This action cut off fuel supply to the engines, immediately causing the aircraft to lose all thrust.
The switches are on the centre console of the cockpit, just below the engine thrust levers. They are used to control fuel flow to the engines—primarily during engine start-up and shutdown on the ground, or to shut down an engine in the event of an engine failure during flight.
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