The preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the Air India Flight 171 crash on June 12, 2025, has provided a detailed timeline of the final moments leading up to the disaster. The crash, which occurred in Ahmedabad, resulted in 241 fatalities with one survivor. The report utilizes data from air traffic control (ATC), the aircraft's emergency and flight data recorders (EAFR), and CCTV footage from the airport to reconstruct the sequence of events.

Here is a timeline of the events in Indian Standard Time (IST):

• 11:17 am: The Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB arrives in Ahmedabad from New Delhi as flight AI423.
• 1:18:38 pm: The aircraft departs from Bay 34 at the airport.
• 1:25:15 pm: The crew requests and receives taxi clearance from air traffic control. The aircraft begins taxiing toward Runway 23.
• 1:32:03 pm: Control of the flight is transferred to the Tower.
• 1:33:45 pm: The aircraft is instructed to line up on Runway 23.
• 1:37:33 pm: The aircraft is cleared for takeoff.
• 1:37:37 pm: The plane begins its takeoff roll.
• 1:38:33 pm: The aircraft crosses V1 speed (takeoff decision speed) and reaches 153 knots.
• 1:38:35 pm: The plane reaches Vr speed (rotation speed) of 155 knots.
• 1:38:39 pm: Liftoff is confirmed as sensors switch from ground to air mode.
• 1:38:42 pm: The aircraft achieves 180 knots—its maximum recorded airspeed. Immediately after, both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transition from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” positions, one after the other with a one-second gap.
• 1:38:47 pm: Both engines drop below idle speed and the emergency ram air turbine deploys.
• 1:39:05 pm: One of the pilots issues a distress call: “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY”.
• 1:39:11 pm: Data recording from the aircraft stops.
• 1:44:44 pm: Crash fire tenders leave the airport premises for rescue and firefighting efforts.

The report indicates that approximately 30 seconds passed between takeoff and the crash. A critical moment occurred just after liftoff, when the fuel control switches for both engines abruptly moved from the "RUN" to the "CUTOFF" position within one second of each other. This action cut off the fuel supply, leading to a loss of engine thrust.

Cockpit voice recordings revealed the pilots' confusion regarding the fuel cutoff. One pilot is heard asking, "Why did you cut off the fuel?" to which the other responded, "I did not do so". The switches were flipped back to the "RUN" position, but the aircraft could not regain power quickly enough to prevent the descent. The cause of the switch movement remains under investigation.