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According to a chronology laid out in the report, the fuel switches of both engines were moved to the cut-off position almost immediately after takeoff. It’s unclear what prompted that maneuver. According to the report, one unidentified pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, which he denied, as per a transcript of the cockpit voice recording. 

About 10 seconds after the fuel cut-off, the switches were moved back in quick succession to their so-called run position. The pilots managed to relight both engines, but only one of them properly engaged, while the other failed to build up enough power again. One of the pilots issued a “mayday, mayday, mayday” distress call just a few seconds before impact. Between takeoff and the crash, only about 30 seconds had passed.

The report, while preliminary, paints a harrowing picture of a doomed jetliner. The findings leave unanswered who, if anyone, moved the switches that starved the aircraft of fuel. The investigators also said that it found no evidence so far that would require them to take actions over the Boeing aircraft or the GE engines powering it.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” according to the report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

The report highlighted a FAA airworthiness bulletin from 2018 for the smaller Boeing 737 model that said that fuel control switches could inadvertently move from run to cutoff without their locking mechanism engaging. The Air India jet was not inspected for the locking mechanism fault as it was never mandatory.

The investigation is continuing and the team will examine additional evidence, records and information, the AAIB bureau added. A full report that will seek determine the cause of the incident will take months to compile.

The National Transportation Safety Board referred any questions to Indian authorities. A representative for Air India didn’t immediately comment. 

The agency’s report is based on an examination of data extracted from the cockpit voice recorder and digital flight data recorder and other details gathered from the scene of the crash, the worst aviation accident in more than a decade. 

The report marks the first official explanation for the disaster, which has thrown the Indian carrier into crisis just as it worked on a turnaround under the new ownership of the Tata Group. Boeing has also kept a low public profile in the wake of the catastrophe, as the US planemaker became associated with another aircraft mishap.

The Boeing 787 was bound for London and the crash marked the first ever complete loss of that aircraft type.

(Updates with additional details)