How Air India flight 171 crashed and its fatal last moments

New Delhi, India – Just moments earlier a fatal Air India crash connected June 12, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches successful the cockpit mysteriously moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position, an aboriginal investigation into the catastrophe has revealed.

Flipping to cutoff astir instantly cuts the engines. The investigation’s report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) aboriginal connected Saturday, recovered that some engines unopen down wrong the abstraction of 1 second, starring to contiguous nonaccomplishment of altitude.

The study does not reason immoderate crushed for the switches moving oregon apportion blasted for the clang of Air India’s Flight 171, which had been bound for London’s Gatwick Airport.

Rather, the caller details emerging from the report, including dependable recordings from the cockpit, look to person compounded the enigma astir what caused the crash.

This is what the study has recovered and what we cognize astir the last infinitesimal earlier the level crashed.

What happened connected June 12?

At 13:38 [08:08 GMT] connected the day of June 12, the Dreamliner departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick with 230 passengers, 10 compartment unit and 2 pilots connected board.

Less than 40 seconds later, the craft mislaid some engines during its archetypal climb.

In the archetypal specified incidental for a 787 Dreamliner, the level crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel and adjoining structures successful a densely populated suburb of the city, conscionable nether a nautical mile (equivalent to astir 1.85km) from the runway.

The craft broke isolated connected impact, igniting a occurrence that destroyed parts of 5 buildings. All but 1 of the radical connected committee the level were killed. The sole survivor was Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British nationalist of Indian origin.

Some 19 radical connected the crushed were besides killed and 67 were injured.

A writer stands adjacent to the wreckage of the landing cogwheel of the Air India aircraft, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, which crashed during takeoff from the airdrome successful Ahmedabad, India, connected June 12, 2025 [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

What has the probe revealed?

The AAIB, an bureau nether India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is starring the probe into the world’s deadliest aviation mishap successful a decade. The probe is besides joined by experts from Boeing and participants from the United States and United Kingdom.

According to the preliminary report, the craft was deemed airworthy, with its Airworthiness Review Certificate valid until May 2026. Routine attraction had been carried out, and nary unsafe goods were connected board.

However, investigators noted a erstwhile US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory from December 2018 regarding a imaginable flaw successful the aircraft’s fuel-control power strategy – highlighting the imaginable disengagement of the locking feature.

The study connected the Air India clang noted that this advisory had been prompted by reports from operators of Boeing 737 aircraft, highlighting that fuel-control switches had been recovered to person been installed with their locking mechanisms disengaged.

Air India told the investigators that nary inspection had been made successful effect to this SAIB, since compliance was not mandatory.

The study noted that the throttle power module connected the craft had been replaced successful 2019 and again successful 2023. However, these replacements were not related to the fuel-control switch, and nary defects concerning the power person been reported since 2023, the study highlighted.

Key systems specified arsenic the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) and Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) were engaged and attempted automatic recovery, but lone partial motor relight was achieved earlier the craft crashed.

(Al Jazeera)

What does the audio signaling from the cockpit reveal?

Shortly aft takeoff, some engines unopen down astir simultaneously, arsenic the substance power switches inexplicably moved from “run” to “cutoff”.

Cockpit dependable recordings captured 1 aviator questioning the other, “Why did you chopped off?”

The different aviator replied that helium had not done so.

The pilots rapidly attempted to retrieve control: the substance switches were returned to “run”; the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed; and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) auto-started.

According to the report, Engine 1 began relighting, but Engine 2 failed to regain thrust. Just seconds earlier impact, a panicked “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” telephone was transmitted.

What did aerial postulation power observe?

The Air Traffic Control Officer astatine Ahmedabad received nary effect astatine each pursuing the Mayday telephone motion but observed the craft crashing extracurricular the airdrome boundary.

CCTV footage from the airdrome showed the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) being deployed during the archetypal ascent instantly aft lift-off. The craft past started to suffer altitude earlier crossing the airdrome perimeter wall.

The study has not determined whether the fuel-switch shutdown was mechanical oregon accidental. The investigators person besides not “speaker-stamped” the dependable signaling – identified who is speaking – from the cockpit yet.

Who were the pilots?

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the 56-year-old pilot-in-command (PIC), had extended acquisition with 15,638 full flying hours, including 8,596 hours connected the Boeing 787, of which 8,260 hours were arsenic PIC.

The co-pilot, oregon archetypal officer, was Clive Kunder. The 32-year-old had accumulated 3,403 flying hours, including 1,128 hours connected the B787, each arsenic co-pilot. His endorsements included C172 and PA-34 arsenic PIC and A320 and B787 arsenic co-pilot.

On the time of the accident, Kunder was the aviator flying the Dreamliner portion Sabharwal acted arsenic the aviator monitoring, liable for supporting the formation done connection with aerial postulation power and strategy monitoring.

Rescue officials enactment astatine the tract wherever Air India formation 171 crashed successful a residential country adjacent the airdrome successful Ahmedabad connected June 12, 2025. The London-bound rider level crashed successful India’s occidental metropolis of Ahmedabad with 242 connected board, aviation officials said, successful what the hose called a ‘tragic accident’ [Sam Panthaky/AFP]

This is simply a second-by-second timeline of Flight 171’s past moments:

08:07:33 [GMT]: Cleared for takeoff from Ahmedabad’s runway 23.

08:07:37: Aircraft begins takeoff roll.

08:08:33: Aircraft reaches V1 (153 knots).

08:08:35: Aircraft achieves Vr (155 knots) for rotation.

08:08:39: Lift-off registered.

08:08:42: Aircraft peaks astatine its maximum recorded velocity of 180 knots; some engine-fuel switches abruptly modulation to “cutoff”.

08:08:47: Engines suffer power; RAT deploys to supply exigency hydraulics.

08:08:52: Engine 1 substance power is returned to “run”.

08:08:54: APU inlet doorway begins to unfastened (auto-start initiates).

08:08:56: Engine 2 substance power besides moved to “run”.

08:09:05: Pilot transmits “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”.

08:09:11: Final information recorded; craft hits the ground.

According to Saturday’s report, astatine this signifier of the investigation, determination is nary request for airlines oregon motor makers to instrumentality immoderate enactment regarding the Boeing 787-8 planes oregon GE GEnx-1B engines. Further probe is nether way.