Paige Cornwell and Lauren Rosenblatt, The Seattle Times

The two engines on the Air India flight shut down within one second of each other before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed last month in Ahmedabad, India, killing at least 260 people, according to a preliminary report released Friday.

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Both engine fuel control switches that, if pulled while in flight, cut power to the engines, transitioned from the “run” to “cutoff” settings as the plane took off, according to the report.

In the recovered cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off fuel to the engine. The other pilot responded that he didn’t, according to the 15-page report.

The preliminary report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, comes 30 days after the fatal crash, following guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency that recommends practices for the industry.

The new information matches media reports this week that, citing anonymous sources, said that investigators were focused on the engine fuel control switches.

On June 12, the Boeing 787 crashed in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad less than a minute after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground, according to the most recent estimates from local authorities.

The Everett-built plane crashed into a medical hostel roughly 1 mile from the airport. It was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the jet maker’s smaller widebody plane.

India’s civil aviation authority is leading the investigation, with support from the U.S. and the U.K., which had several citizens on board the London-bound plane.

The switches moved back to “run” and one engine was regaining thrust when the plane crashed.

The report doesn’t specify which of the two pilots asked the other about the switches. Both pilots had an adequate rest period before the flight, underwent preflight breath analyzer tests and were deemed fit to fly, according to the report. The first officer was flying the plane and the captain was monitoring during takeoff.

The takeoff weight was within the allowable limits, and there were no “dangerous goods” on the plane, according to the report. There was no significant bird activity in the flight path.

Boeing and engine maker General Electric offered to support the investigation and Air India. Both companies have been limited in what they can say as the investigation is ongoing.

The report said at this investigation stage, there are no recommended actions for Boeing Dreamliner or General Electric engine operators and manufacturers.

With few official updates from accident investigators, the aviation industry and flying public have been searching for answers about what went wrong.

Aviation experts who spoke with The Seattle Times over the last month shared a long list of possibilities and were reluctant to rule anything out, noting that the circumstances of the crash were unusual.

©2025 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Larry Earl Jiles Jr. cooked in the Twin Cities for over a decade. He owned a gourmet takeout business in Centerville called Chef Hot Hands, which was also his nickname.

But the business was not just about meals, Jiles’ sister said Friday at the sentencing of his killer, John Lee Edmundson, who received a mandatory minimum 40-year prison term.

“It was about love, connections and his energy that made everyone feel good,” Chanel Jiles said.

Larry Jiles Jr., left, and Troy Kennedy (Courtesy of the family)

Jiles, 34, and Edmondson’s cousin, Troy Robert Kennedy, 37, were fatally shot outside a senior-living apartment building in St. Paul on Feb. 25, 2023, following a repast for an 80-year-old woman. Jiles and Kennedy were relatives of the woman, and Jiles made most of the food for the gathering.

A jury in April convicted Edmondson, 54, of second-degree intentional murder in Jiles’ killing and acquitted him of killing Kennedy, who was struck by ensuing gunfire. Jurors also acquitted Edmondson of first-degree murder charges in connection with Jiles’ killing.

No one else has been charged in Kennedy’s killing.

Witnesses testified at Edmundson’s trial that it was peaceful until it ended, when an argument broke out in the community room and spilled outside.

Three others were wounded in the gun battle, and police recovered 39 shell casings that were fired from five guns. Edmondson fired the first shot, and nine more.

“In a matter of minutes, something so healthy and pure turned into something so vicious and corrupt,” Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro said in handing down the sentence. “It is inexplicable to me, and frankly, it honestly breaks my heart.”

Edmundson’s mandatory minimum sentence fell under the state’s “heinous crimes” law because he was convicted in 1994 of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and 15 years had not elapsed since he was discharged from the imposed prison sentence in that case.

Departure denied

Officers were sent to the shooting behind Frogtown Square Apartments at University Avenue and Dale Street about 5:15 p.m. Jiles was shot twice in the neck. An autopsy showed Kennedy had two “distant gunshot wounds” from a bullet or bullets that exited his body.

Jiles was born in St. Paul and raised in Hugo, where he lived at the time of his death. Kennedy was a St. Paul resident.

John Lee Edmondson (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Edmondson, of St. Louis Park, claimed defense of others in Jiles’ killing. He testified at his trial that he was driving his mother and niece in the parking lot when his mother spotted Jiles with a gun standing by a group.

Edmondson’s attorney, Ryan Pacyga, told jurors that Edmondson walked over to the group and said he tried to push down the gun as Jiles was raising it. He then shot Jiles.

On Friday, in arguing for a durational departure from sentencing guidelines, Pacyga said “there was at least some aggression on Larry Jiles’ conduct that day to pull a gun out in a crowd.” He said Edmondson responded to the “alarming and emergency situation.”

Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Hassan Tahir said that nobody testified that Jiles pointed the gun at anyone or made threats toward anyone.

Edmondson admitted on the witness stand “multiple times he had no idea what was even going on,” Tahir said. “So for the court to treat that as an imperfect defense of some kind would essentially mean whenever you see somebody with a gun out and you have no idea why they have that gun out, or what they’re planning on doing with it, you get to go and shoot them.”

In denying the departure motion, Castro said at no time was Edmondson under threat.

“The jury determined that the defendant was not acting in defense of others,” the judge said. “The victim may have possessed a gun, but that alone is not enough to justify the departure.”

‘Today we get justice’

Larry Jiles Jr., known as “Chef Hot Hands,” was one of two men fatally shot in St. Paul on Feb. 25, 2023. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

Jasmine Nixon, Jiles’ sister, told the court that Edmondson took away a father from his kids and “today we get justice.”

“His life was stolen at 34,” she said. “My brother, Larry Earl Jiles Jr., forever will be 34.”

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Jiles’ mother, Gretchen Bauman, said what Edmondson did was “extremely evil.”

“Nobody believes outside of your family that you shot Larry in protection,” she said.

Edmondson apologized to Jiles’ family, then repeated his claim he was protecting his family.

“I didn’t know what was going on, Mr. Tahir,” he said. “But I knew my family was in danger.”

Edmondson said Kennedy and his family “deserve justice, too. Who shot him?”

Judge Castro kept his words to Edmondson brief.

“Only you know why you did what you did,” he said, “when there were so many more options for you to make.”

Ramsey County and Falcon Heights will not pursue purchase of the approximately 141-acre Les Bolstad Golf Course, city and county officials informed the University of Minnesota ahead of the school’s Friday deadline.

The University of Minnesota announced its intent to sell the public facility in June, citing financial and infrastructure needs. As part of its sale process, the University offers surplus property like the golf course to the state, county or city where it is located before it is presented for sale to the general public.

The state of Minnesota, Ramsey County and Falcon Heights officials had until the end of the business day Friday to inform the University as to whether they were interested in purchasing the property. An email to the state Department of Administration to confirm the state’s decision was not immediately returned Friday.

The John W. Mooty Golf Facility used by the University’s men’s and women’s golf teams, as well as the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium used by the women’s soccer team and the KUOM radio tower are not included in the sale.

The Falcon Heights city council during their Wednesday meeting confirmed they do not intend to pursue buying the property as they expect the property’s sale price to be higher than the city’s borrowing capacity, said Falcon Heights Mayor Randy Gustafson on Friday.

The city will still play a role in the property’s future as officials work with future buyers on zoning regulations and city code.

While it’s still early to know what will happen to the property, its future will have to work with several components, Gustafson said. Falcon Heights’ city code requires that 8% to 10% of land be dedicated to green space, such as a park or trail system, as a condition for approval of any subdivision of land.

“I’m just looking forward to seeing what people are hoping for,” Gustafson said. “And I’m looking for something that’s going to benefit everybody in the long term, and go for a better – you know, so we can maintain a good community and good quality of life and places to to live, raise families, recreate, have jobs, that type of thing, all be part of that. That’s what we’re hoping for.”

University officials said they also plan to work closely with the city of Falcon Heights throughout the request for proposal process.

“The City of Falcon Heights, as the land use authority, is leading planning efforts for the future of the Leo Bolstad Golf Course site,” Ramsey County officials said in a statement. “Ramsey County is not pursuing the purchase of this site but remains committed to close coordination with the City, particularly given the County’s adjacent facilities along Larpenteur and Cleveland Avenues.”

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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A resident of northern Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, health officials said Friday.

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Plague is rare to humans, with on average about seven cases reported annually in the U.S., most of them in the western states, according to federal health officials.

The death in Coconino County, which includes Flagstaff, was the first recorded death from pneumonic plague since 2007, local officials said. Further details including the identify of the victim were not released.

Plague is a bacterial infection known for killing tens of millions in 14th century Europe. Today, it’s easily treated with antibiotics.

The bubonic plague is the most common form of the bacterial infection, which spreads naturally among rodents like prairie dogs and rats.

There are two other forms: septicemic plague that spreads through the whole body, and pneumonic plague that infects the lungs.

Pneumonic plague is the most deadly and easiest to spread.

The bacteria is transmitted through the bites of infected fleas that can spread it between rodents, pets and humans.

People can also get plague through touching infected bodily fluids. Health experts recommend taking extra care when handling dead or sick animals.

Most cases happen in rural areas of northern New Mexico, northern Arizona, southern Colorado, California, southern Oregon and far western Nevada, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.