The report and India’s inspection order referred to an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2018 that recommended that carriers using Boeing models, including the 787, inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel control switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.

India's aircraft accident investigation body said on Thursday it was too early to reach any "definite conclusions" on what led to the deadly Air India Boeing plane crash last month that killed 260 people.

Indian aviation expert dismissed claims made in the Wall Street Journal report on the Air India Al171 crash regarding the chances of the flight commander switching off the fuel controls while the official preliminary report by the Indian aircraft accident body only contains a short pilot denial and lacks the full cockpit voice recorder transcript.