NEW DELHI, July 12 — A critical error involving the fuel control switches may have led to the deadly crash of Air India flight AI-171, the government’s preliminary investigation report has revealed — offering the first technical clue into what caused the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to go down minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 270 people.
The 15-page report released Saturday by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) sheds light on the short, chaotic flight that ended in one of India’s worst aviation disasters in recent history.
The London-bound aircraft crashed into a hostel complex near BJ Medical College, exploding in flames. Of the 242 people onboard, including 12 crew members, only one passenger survived. At least 30 people on the ground also died, bringing the total death toll to 270.
According to data retrieved from the aircraft’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), both engines lost power after the fuel control switches were moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ just seconds after liftoff. Cockpit audio captured the moment one pilot asked the other, “Why did you cut off?” to which the second responded, “I did not.”
The switches were turned back to ‘RUN’ almost immediately, indicating the crew attempted to restart the engines — but it was too late. The plane had already begun losing altitude. The EAFR stopped recording shortly after.
A Mayday call was issued by one of the pilots but no further communication was received. The aircraft was in the air for only 32 seconds before it crashed just beyond the airport perimeter wall.
The report confirmed that both pilots — Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (8,200 flight hours) and First Officer Clive Kundar (1,100 hours) — were medically fit, well-rested, and experienced. There was no indication of sabotage or external impact. The aircraft was fully fueled, and no bird activity was detected in the flight path.
Airport CCTV confirmed the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — an emergency backup system — within moments of engine failure, further supporting the dual-engine shutdown theory.
While the cause of the fuel switch movement remains under investigation, the AAIB noted a prior Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory that warned of a potential defect in fuel switch locking mechanisms — though it applied specifically to Boeing 737s, not 787s. The advisory had not been deemed a safety risk at the time, but AAIB investigators have marked it as a possibly relevant detail.
The report also references a 1980s Delta Air Lines incident, where an accidental engine cutoff occurred mid-flight. In that case, the pilot was able to restart the engines due to higher altitude — a margin the Air India crew did not have.
The crash prompted the government to launch a multi-agency probe, chaired by the Union Home Secretary, and grant observer status to ICAO, the UN’s aviation watchdog. Air India declared a “safety pause,” cutting dozens of domestic and international services and subjecting its Boeing 787 and 777 fleets to enhanced inspections.
Air India’s parent company Tata Sons announced ₹1 crore compensation for each victim’s family and the lone survivor, along with ₹25 lakh interim relief. The airline also dispatched trained trauma counsellors to support affected families.
While the final report will take months, the early findings already suggest a startling lapse involving cockpit controls, raising questions about aircraft design safeguards, crew response protocols, and regulatory oversight.
For now, investigators are focusing on why the switches were moved — and whether it was human error, mechanical fault, or a combination of both.
