Overview

• An AAIB preliminary report confirms that both engine fuel feeds were manually switched off seconds after takeoff, causing an immediate loss of thrust.
• Wall Street Journal reporting attributes the co-pilot’s ‘Why did you cut fuel?’ question to the first officer and the denial to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal.
• Investigators are weighing deliberate switch actuation by the captain versus a design or maintenance failure given expert consensus that accidental activation is highly unlikely.
• Initial inspections by carriers including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines have not uncovered any defects in the locking mechanisms of their Boeing fuel-control switches.
• The AAIB is coordinating with the U.S. NTSB and UK AAIB while reviewing switch design, pilot medical records and potential jumpseat access in its ongoing investigation.