India, July 12 -- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's preliminary report into the Air India flight 171 crash has provided the first official account of the disaster that killed 260 people on June 12. Here are the key findings and what they mean for the ongoing investigation.

The preliminary report reveals that both engine fuel cutoff switches "transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec" at 08:08:42 UTC, just as the aircraft reached its maximum speed of 180 knots during take-off. This immediately cut fuel supply to both engines, causing them to lose power. However, the report does not determine what caused the fuel switches to move - whether it was human action, mechanical failure, or ele...