Suggesting that the fuel control switches on the doomed AI 171 were manually moved, the new head of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said the crash was unlikely to have been caused by a mechanical issue with the plane or inadvertent movement of the aircraft’s fuel control switches.

“We can say with a high level of confidence it doesn’t appear to be a mechanical issue with the Boeing fuel control unit. We feel very comfortable that this isn’t an issue with inadvertent manipulation of fuel control,” agencies quoted FAA administrator Bryan Bedford as saying.Indian authorities, who are investigating the crash and have requested patience for the final report before drawing conclusions, did not comment on the claim. The doomed plane’s fuel supply to engines had been cut off, causing it to crash. It is not known what caused the fuel switches’ position to change.