Air India Ahmedabad Crash: Software Glitch or Pilot Error?

The preliminary report on the Air India flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad focuses on the fuel switch, which inexplicably transitioned from 'Run' to 'Cutoff' but was found in the 'Run' position at the crash site. Pilot conversations suggest neither pilot intentionally cut the fuel supply. US aviation expert Mary Schiavo points to a potential Boeing 787 software glitch, citing a similar incident in 2019 involving an ANA 787. She suggests investigating a possible Thrust Control Malfunction Accommodation (TCMA) system failure, which might have caused the plane to mistakenly believe it was on the ground and automatically shut down the engines. While the preliminary report offers no recommendations for Boeing, Schiavo warns that a clean chit for Boeing's software would be a serious breach of aviation accident investigation protocol.