New Delhi, July 18 -- Cockpit recordings of Air India Flight 171's final moments indicate the captain switched off fuel to the plane's engines, a media report said on Thursday, citing anonymous sources, but the claim was rejected as irresponsible reporting by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed American officials aware of the probe's details, first reported that black box recordings indicated captain Sumeet Sabharwal turned off the fuel control switches, prompting first officer Clive Kunder to ask why he had moved them to the "cutoff" position. Bloomberg independently reported it was Kunder who asked the question.

The captain appeared to deny responsibility while remaining calm as the ...