The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report on the Air India Flight AI171 crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the death of 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew, and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived the crash.

The preliminary report indicates that the fuel supply to both engines was abruptly cut off just three seconds after takeoff. The engine fuel control switches transitioned from the "RUN" position to "CUTOFF" within one second of each other. This caused a sudden loss of thrust, leaving the pilots confused. According to the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), one pilot is heard asking, "Why did you cutoff?" to which the other replied, "I didn't do so".

The AAIB's findings reveal that the aircraft reached a maximum airspeed of 180 Knots IAS (Indicated Air Speed) shortly before the engine failures. The fuel cutoff occurred at 1:38:52 pm for Engine 1 and 1:38:56 pm for Engine 2. As the fuel supply was cut off, the engine speed (N1 and N2) began to decrease from their takeoff values.

Following the engine failures, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency power source, automatically deployed. The RAT is designed to provide essential power to the aircraft's systems in the event of a complete power loss. CCTV footage confirmed the deployment of the RAT.

The pilots attempted to restart the engines. Engine 1 was successfully relit, but Engine 2 failed to recover despite multiple attempts to reintroduce fuel. The aircraft crashed approximately 29 seconds after the initial fuel cutoff, about 0.9 nautical miles from the runway. The report indicates that the plane impacted buildings outside the airport perimeter with an 8° nose-up attitude and level wings, but with both engines inactive. The aircraft crashed into a medical hostel complex near the airport.

The AAIB's investigation is ongoing, with a focus on determining the cause of the fuel cutoff. Investigators are analyzing crew actions, as no mechanical faults have been identified thus far. The complete analysis of postmortem reports of crew and passengers is also being taken into account to corroborate aeromedical findings with engineering expertise. Both engines have been retrieved from the wreckage site and quarantined at a hangar in the airport. Drone photography and videography of the wreckage site have been completed, and the aircraft's parts have been moved to a secure area near the airport.

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 Air India Flight 171 crash represents the first fatal accident and hull loss of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.