An advisory had been issued by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in 2018 about fuel cutoff switches moving without any force after they get worn out and, in hindsight, it would have been better if changing them had been made mandatory.

Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the ''run'' to the ''cutoff'' position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said early Saturday.

Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, a preliminary investigation report said on Saturday, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.