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.

Investigators released a preliminary account of the crash, describing how the plane struggled after its fuel supply was cut.

A preliminary report into the Air India crash last month, which left at least 270 people dead, indicates that fuel to the plane's engines was shut off just seconds after the plane lifted off.