What are the fuel switches at the centre of the Air India crash probe?

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A police officer standing in front of the wreckage of the Air India jet that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.

PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI – The preliminary report from investigators probing the

Air India crash that killed 260 people

Here are a few facts about the switches, their functions in the aircraft and their movements on the Air India flight.

They are switches that regulate fuel flow into a plane’s engines.

They are used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground, or to manually shut down or restart engines if an engine failure occurs during a flight.

Aviation experts say a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches that feed the engines.

But if moved, the effect would be immediate, cutting off engine power.

There are independent power systems and wiring for the fuel cut-off switches and the fuel valves controlled by those switches, according to US aviation safety expert John Cox.

The two fuel control switches on a Boeing 787, in Air India’s case equipped with two GE engines, are located below the thrust levers.

There are two modes: “cut-off” and “run”.

The switches are spring-loaded to remain in position. To change one from run to cut-off, a pilot has to first pull the switch up and