The focus in the Air India Flight 171 crash from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, has now shifted to the pilots after the cockpit recording recovered from the black box indicates that it was the captain who turned off the fuel switches to the plane's engine, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (IST).

According to the Wall Street Journal report, the first officer flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner asked the more experienced captain why he had moved the switches to the "cutoff" position after the plane had climbed off the runway.

While the first officer expressed surprise and panic, the more experienced captain remained calm. The preliminary report by AAIB suggested the exchange, but did not mention which pilot said what. According to the AAIB's preliminary report, one pilot asked the other about moving the switches, while the other denied doing so.

Citing sources, the Wall Street Journal report added that it was the captain who turned off the switches; however, AAIB's finding did not clarify whether turning off the switches might have been deliberate or accidental.