Air India Crash: Preliminary Findings Point To The Fuel Supply Being Cut Off To The Engine -

Air India Crash: Preliminary Findings Point To The Fuel Supply Being Cut Off To The Engine The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) last night released its 15-page preliminary report of the investigation into the fatal Air India plane crash that claimed 260 lives in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. Photo: BASIT ZARGAR/Middle east images/AFP via Getty Images

A month after the horrific crash of Air India’s flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a 15-page preliminary report that seems to point the cause towards the position of the aircraft’s fuel cutoff switches, which control the flow of fuel to the engines.

The aircraft had reached a maximum speed of 180 knots indicated airspeed (IAS) at 08:08:42 UTC, just before both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from “run” to “cutoff”.

The report suggests that the switches transitioned from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff’ position one after another, within a second of each other. Cockpit voices also confirmed the situation with one pilot asking the other, “Why did you cut off?” The other responded, “I did not do so.” At the time the aircraft took off, the co-pilot was flying the plane, while the captain was monitoring.

While the switches were moved back into their normal in-flight position, it may not have been enough to arrest the crash. The report said that engine 1’s core deceleration initially halted, then reversed, and began progressing toward recovery. Engine 2, meanwhile, managed to relight but failed to arrest the core speed deceleration and continued to reintroduce fuel in repeated attempts to stabilise.

“When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is in flight, each engine’s full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction,” the report said.

AI 171 had 230 passengers on board, of which 15 passengers were in business class and 215 were in economy class, including two infants. The aircraft carried 54,200 kilograms of fuel. “The take off weight was within allowable limits for the given conditions. There were no ‘Dangerous Goods’ on the aircraft,” the report noted.

At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”. While the air traffic control inquired about the call sign, there was no response, and instead saw the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary.

The report, meanwhile, seems to have absolved Boeing 787 jets, which had faced increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the accident. “At this stage of the investigation, the AAIB has not issued any safety recommendations for Boeing 787-8 aircraft or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” the report said.

The accident is the first instance of an air accident under the Tata Group, which had laid out an ambitious plan to become a market leader in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. India is the third-largest aviation market, after the US and China, and has more than 1,000 aircraft under order, a bulk of which have been placed by Air India and IndiGo. Together, the two airlines account for as much as 90 percent of the domestic market.

Source link