Criminal Intent? ‘Why Did You Cut Off The Fuel?’
The AAIB report revealed the conversation that happened inside the cockpit, moments before the crash. One of the pilots asked the other, “Why did you cut off?” To this, another pilot, who could be a co-pilot, responded, “I did not do so.”
The initial probe suggests that Engine 1’s fuel cutoff switch transitioned from “Run” to “Cutoff” at 1:38:52 pm, followed by Engine 2 making the same transition at 1:38:56 pm. US aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse says the way switches moved is inconsistent with normal operations.
“Did they move on their own, or did they move because of the pilots?” “And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?” Another aviation safety expert John Cox says the fuel switches couldn’t be moved by the pilots accidentally. “You can’t bump them, and they move,” he said.
