On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick from Ahmedabad, India, crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff, killing 260 people, including 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board and 19 people on the ground. The devastating crash, one of the worst aviation disasters in India in decades, has left families grieving, a nation in shock, and investigators scrambling to uncover what went wrong. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report on July 11, 2025, shedding light on the tragedy while raising new questions. This article provides a detailed look at the report’s findings, the ongoing investigation, and updates as new information emerges.
What Happened on June 12, 2025?
At 1:39 PM local time (8:09 UTC), Air India Flight 171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The plane, piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar, was fully loaded with nearly 100 tons of fuel for its long-haul journey to London. Within seconds of leaving the ground, the aircraft reached an altitude of just 650 feet before it began to descend rapidly. A mayday call from the cockpit reported a loss of power and thrust, but it was the last transmission before the plane crashed into a medical college hostel on the Civil Hospital campus, about 1.5 kilometers from the runway.
The impact caused multiple explosions, engulfing the plane and nearby buildings in flames. The crash site, a densely populated area, saw additional casualties as the aircraft struck doctors’ quarters and a student hostel. Only one passenger, 40-year-old British citizen Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived, escaping through a hole in the fuselage. He described the moment as a “miracle,” telling local media he pushed aside an emergency exit door to escape the burning wreckage.
Preliminary Report: Key Findings
The AAIB’s 15-page preliminary report, released on July 11, 2025, provides critical clues about the crash but stops short of pinpointing a definitive cause. The report is based on data from the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR), both recovered from the crash site on June 13 and 16. Here’s a summary of the key findings:
| Key Finding | Details |
|---|---|
| Fuel Control Switches Moved to Cutoff | Both engines lost thrust after their fuel control switches were moved from the RUN to CUTOFF position one second apart, just seconds after takeoff. This action starves the engines of fuel, causing them to shut down almost instantly. |
| Pilot Confusion in Cockpit | Cockpit voice recordings reveal one pilot asking, “Why did you do the cut-off?” The other pilot responded, “I didn’t do it.” This suggests confusion and no clear intent to shut off the fuel. |
| No Mechanical Faults Identified | The report found no evidence of mechanical or design issues with the Boeing 787-8 or its GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines. Fuel contamination was also ruled out after tests on the limited fuel samples recovered. |
| Landing Gear Retraction Failure | Video evidence shows the landing gear was partially tilted, indicating the retraction sequence started but failed, possibly due to a loss of hydraulic or electrical power. |
| Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Deployed | The plane’s emergency power generator, the RAT, was deployed, suggesting a catastrophic loss of electrical or hydraulic power. This device provides limited power to flight controls in emergencies. |
| Engines Attempted to Restart | The full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system tried to restart both engines. Engine 1 was spooling up, but Engine 2’s core speed continued to fall before the crash. |
| Flaps and Slats Properly Set | The flaps were set at 5° for takeoff, and slats were extended, as confirmed by video analysis and flight data, ruling out improper configuration as a cause. |
| Mayday Call Issued | At 8:09:05 UTC, a pilot issued a mayday call reporting a loss of power and thrust. No further communication was received before the crash at 8:09:11 UTC. |
The report emphasizes that these are preliminary findings, and a final report, expected within 12 months per International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, will provide a deeper analysis. For now, the focus on the fuel control switches has raised questions about human error, technical glitches, or even sabotage, though no conclusions have been drawn.
What Do These Findings Mean?
The preliminary report paints a puzzling picture. The movement of the fuel control switches to the cutoff position is highly unusual, as these switches are typically left in the RUN position during flight. John Cox, a former pilot and CEO of Safety Operating Systems, explained to Bloomberg that moving these switches “stops the engines in seconds.” The cockpit audio, where one pilot questions the other about the cutoff, suggests neither intended to shut down the engines, deepening the mystery.
Aviation experts like Jeff Guzzetti, a former investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), have noted that the lack of yawing or asymmetric thrust in video footage indicates both engines lost power simultaneously. This rules out a single engine failure, which would typically cause the plane to swerve. The deployment of the RAT further points to a sudden loss of primary power, possibly electrical or hydraulic, which could have prevented the landing gear from retracting fully.
The absence of mechanical faults or fuel contamination shifts attention to the pilots’ actions or an external factor, like sabotage, which India’s Civil Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol mentioned as a possibility in late June. However, experts caution that it’s nearly impossible to accidentally move both fuel switches at once, as they are located in the cockpit’s center console and require deliberate action.
What’s Happening Now?
Air India issued a statement expressing solidarity with the victims’ families and pledging full cooperation with investigators. The airline declined to comment on specific details due to the ongoing probe. Boeing and GE Aerospace also reiterated their support for the investigation, with Boeing deferring all inquiries to the AAIB.
The preliminary report was submitted to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and is expected to be discussed at a Parliament Public Accounts Committee meeting. The meeting will also address broader aviation safety concerns, including passenger fees and airport regulations.
Investigation Challenges and Next Steps
The investigation, led by the AAIB with support from the NTSB, UK investigators, Boeing, and GE Aerospace, faces significant hurdles. The black boxes, recovered from a rooftop and crash debris, were damaged by fire, complicating data extraction. While the data was successfully downloaded on June 25 at the AAIB’s lab in Delhi, some experts initially speculated that the recorders might need to be sent to the U.S. for analysis. India’s Civil Aviation Ministry clarified that no final decision has been made, emphasizing that the AAIB’s new lab is equipped to handle the task.
The investigation is following the UN’s DOC 9756 Manual of Accident Investigation, which requires a preliminary report within 30 days and a final report within 12 months. Former AAIB director Aurobindo Handa told Sky News that the process could take longer due to the crash’s complexity and the need to examine every possibility, from pilot error to technical failures.
Air India pilots conducted a separate simulation of the flight’s conditions, keeping the landing gear deployed and flaps retracted, but found that these settings alone wouldn’t cause a crash. This has reinforced the theory of a dual engine failure, possibly linked to the fuel cutoff or a power loss.
Impact on Air India and Aviation Safety
The crash has dealt a blow to Air India’s reputation, just as the Tata Group, which acquired the airline in 2022, was pushing to transform it into a world-class carrier. New planes, updated interiors, and improved finances had raised hopes, but this tragedy has shaken passenger confidence. Sanjay Lazar, an aviation consultant, told the BBC that airlines often become “ultra-cautious” after such incidents, comparing it to a homeowner adding locks after a burglary.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered extra safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, focusing on fuel systems, cabin air compressors, and engine controls. So far, inspections of 24 of the airline’s 33 Dreamliners have shown no major safety concerns. However, the crash has prompted calls for stricter oversight of India’s aviation sector, with critics like Mohan Ranganathan pointing to lax safety standards at some airports, including tall buildings near runways.
What’s Next?
As the investigation continues, several questions remain unanswered:
- Why did the fuel switches move to cutoff? Was it human error, a technical glitch, or something deliberate?
- What caused the power loss? The RAT’s deployment and the landing gear’s failure suggest a broader system failure.
- Will new safety measures be implemented? The DGCA’s inspections and the parliamentary review could lead to reforms.
The AAIB has promised transparency, but experts warn that a final cause may not be determined for months or even years. For now, the preliminary report has ruled out mechanical faults, leaving human actions or external factors as the primary focus. The world is watching as India navigates this tragedy, balancing grief, accountability, and the push for safer skies.
Stay tuned for more updates as the investigation unfolds.
