Segun Atanda/
The catastrophic crash of Air India Flight AI‑171 that claimed the lives of 242 people last month was caused by a sudden and unexplained shutdown of both engines just seconds after takeoff, according to a preliminary investigation report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on the morning of June 12, 2025, bound for London Gatwick, when disaster struck. Barely three seconds after the aircraft became airborne, both engine fuel control switches were inexplicably moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF,” causing a complete loss of power.
Cockpit voice recorder data revealed confusion and panic in the flight deck. One of the pilots was heard asking, “Why is the fuel cut off?” while the other denied having touched the guarded switches.
The audio transcript suggests that neither pilot was aware of the switches being moved — raising serious questions about mechanical failure, possible inadvertent action, or even sabotage, although the latter has so far not been substantiated.
Despite desperate attempts by the flight crew to restart the engines and activate emergency power, the aircraft was unable to maintain altitude. It crashed into the BJ Medical College building located about 1.7 nautical miles from the runway. The impact and ensuing fire killed all 12 crew members and 229 of the 230 passengers onboard. The crash also claimed the lives of at least 19 people on the ground.
The lone survivor, 27-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was pulled from the wreckage hours later. In interviews since the crash, he described hearing a loud bang, followed by eerie silence as the engines went dead.
The AAIB ruled out bird strikes, sabotage, or any external force as a cause of the crash. Investigators also confirmed that weather conditions were clear and visibility was good at the time of departure.
The switches responsible for cutting off the engine fuel supply are located on the overhead panel of the Boeing 787 and are designed to be protected by guards to prevent accidental activation. Boeing previously acknowledged a 2018 advisory from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended improvements to prevent inadvertent operation of these switches. However, the FAA’s bulletin was not mandatory, and Air India had not implemented any of the suggested modifications.
This revelation has drawn intense scrutiny of both Boeing and Air India’s safety procedures.
Aviation safety analysts say the guarded nature of the switches makes accidental activation unlikely, and they questioned how both switches could have been moved to “cutoff” within seconds of takeoff without deliberate input. Some experts have pointed to potential electronic or software-related malfunctions, or a deeper systemic failure within the aircraft’s flight management systems.
“Unless both pilots made identical catastrophic errors simultaneously — which is highly improbable — this cannot be pilot error alone,” said Captain Rajan Mehra, a former commercial pilot and aviation safety consultant. “There needs to be a deeper forensic investigation into the aircraft systems.”
Grieving families of the victims have called for an international investigation, expressing skepticism about Air India’s internal safety culture and the independence of the domestic probe. Several have petitioned the Indian government to involve the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), both of which are already participating in the investigation alongside Boeing and GE Aerospace, the engine manufacturer.
“I lost my sister and her two children in this crash,” said Rekha Menon, who flew into Ahmedabad from London for a private memorial. “It’s not enough to say it was a fuel switch. We want to know why it happened and who is responsible.”
In the wake of the crash, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered a thorough inspection of all Boeing 787 aircraft in Air India’s fleet. As of this week, 26 of the 33 Dreamliners have undergone inspection, and similar checks are being extended to the airline’s Boeing 777s. While no mechanical anomalies have yet been disclosed, some aircraft were briefly grounded for precautionary maintenance.
Air India CEO, Campbell Wilson, expressed condolences and pledged full cooperation with the investigation. “This tragedy has shaken our entire organisation. We are committed to uncovering every truth and doing everything possible to prevent a recurrence.”
The final investigation report could take between 12 and 18 months, according to the AAIB. In the meantime, investigators are conducting lab tests on the engine control modules, wiring harnesses, and the cockpit switch guard mechanisms.
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