Air India plane crash caused by fuel cut to engines, report finds

A preliminary investigation into last month’s Air India crash has found that both fuel control switches were moved to the cut-off position - an action that typically shuts down the engines - just moments before the plane went down. The crash resulted in 260 deaths, with only one survivor. Cockpit voice recordings suggest possible confusion between the two pilots regarding the fuel switch cut-off.

Also in the programme: We hear from families affected by the devastating Texas floods, as Donald Trump visits the state to offer condolences for the 120 lives lost and those still missing; and in Australia, the high-profile trial of Erin Patterson concluded on Monday. The 50-year-old was found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill a fourth, in a case that captured global attention.

Joining presenter Julian Worricker are Natalya Ben-Khaled-Vince, associate professor of modern history at Oxford University, specialising in the French empire, and Freddie Carver, director of humanitarian policy at the ODI Global think tank in London.

(Picture: A tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed. Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave)