Preliminary investigations into the Air India Flight 171 crash that occurred on June 12, 2025, are increasingly pointing towards pilot error as the primary cause, with no apparent mechanical faults detected in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The tragic accident, which took place shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulted in the deaths of 260 people.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), along with British and US officials, is conducting the probe. Early assessments by US officials revealed no issues with the aircraft itself, shifting the focus to the actions taken in the cockpit. Investigators have been analyzing data from the aircraft's black boxes—the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR)—to reconstruct the events leading up to the crash.
Preliminary findings suggest a critical error involving the engine fuel control switches. According to reports, the fuel flow to both engines was somehow cut off shortly after takeoff. The switches, which are typically active during flight and used for starting, shutting down, or resetting engines in emergencies, appear to have been deactivated. Investigators are exploring the theory that the pilots may have been attempting to address a failing engine but inadvertently shut off fuel to both, leading to a loss of thrust. It remains unclear whether this was an accidental or deliberate action, or if the pilots tried to reactivate the fuel flow before the plane crashed. The sudden loss of power triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency generator, just before the aircraft impacted a medical college hostel near Ahmedabad.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the preliminary report from India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau is expected to be released soon. If the accident was caused by human error rather than machine error, it would mark one of the most serious and unprecedented episodes in recent commercial aviation history.
The investigation has also brought scrutiny to Air India's safety standards and pilot training. There have been accusations of falsified safety records and concerns about medical oversight. Specifically, the lead pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, had more than 10,000 flight hours on wide-body aircraft, while his co-pilot, Clive Kunder, exceeded 3,400. Air India Express, a budget subsidiary, has faced accusations of faking engine maintenance updates and medical records. The scrutiny follows a previous incident where an Air India pilot died of a heart attack after landing a plane.
Under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a preliminary accident report must be submitted within 30 days of the incident. As the investigation continues, the focus remains on understanding the circumstances within the cockpit that led to the fatal error.
