A preliminary investigation into India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades has revealed that both engines on Air India Flight 171 lost fuel supply within seconds of takeoff when their control switches were mysteriously moved to the cutoff position. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just 32 seconds after leaving the ground, killing 241 of 242 people aboard and 19 on the ground.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report on Friday, confirming that the fuel control switches for both engines were moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” position three seconds after takeoff, with just a one-second gap between them. The aircraft had reached a maximum airspeed of 180 knots when the catastrophic sequence began.
Analysis of the cockpit voice recorder revealed a chilling exchange between the pilots immediately after the switches were moved. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff,” the report states. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
Swift but Futile Recovery Attempt
The crew responded within seconds, moving the switches back to the “RUN” position in an attempt to restart the engines. The report confirms that the Boeing 787’s automatic relight sequence initiated, with one engine beginning to generate thrust again.
However, less than ten seconds after the attempted restart, one of the pilots made a desperate “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call to air traffic control. The controller called for the aircraft’s call sign but received no response before witnessing the plane crash just outside the airport boundary.
The aircraft struck a hostel building at B.J. Medical College in Ahmedabad, creating a massive fireball. The intense heat, which investigators estimate reached 1,500°C, hampered initial identification efforts.
Focus on Fuel Control System
The investigation has centred on the Boeing 787’s fuel control locking mechanism, originally designed in the 1950s to prevent accidental deployment during flight. The system requires pilots to pull up the switch before being able to flip it, with additional protection from metal brackets.
It would be almost impossible to pull both switches with a single movement of one hand, and this makes accidental deployment unlikely,” an unnamed Canadian air accident investigator told the BBC.
Aviation expert Keith Tonkin described the incident as “inexplicable,” telling ABC News Australia: “It’s important to have fuel flowing to the engines, unless you turn them off in the event of an emergency where the procedure requires that. It would not normally be done and it’s a deliberate decision to do that.”
Maintenance History Under Scrutiny
The report revealed that Air India engineers had addressed a fault with the aircraft’s stabiliser sensor just an hour before the scheduled departure. The previous flight crew had flagged an error with the horizontal trim setting indicator.
Investigators also discovered that the US Federal Aviation Administration had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin in 2018 warning about similar fuel switches being installed with the locking feature disengaged on some Boeing 737 aircraft. However, Air India had not undertaken the recommended inspections as they were not mandatory.
The aircraft, registered VT-ANB and manufactured in 2013, had undergone significant maintenance recently. Both engines had been replaced in 2025, with the left engine changed just weeks before the crash in May.
Sole Survivor’s Miraculous Escape
A 40-year-old British citizen sitting in seat 11A next to an emergency exit was the flight’s sole survivor. He reported that his section of the aircraft detached upon impact and came to rest on the ground floor of the hostel, allowing him to escape through the emergency exit.
This doesn’t feel real right now,” his brother told Sky News, calling the survival “a miracle.
The crash claimed the lives of all 12 crew members and 229 other passengers, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Among the victims was Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, whose body required DNA identification.
Investigation Continues
The preliminary report has ruled out several potential factors, including weather conditions, which were normal at the time of departure. The aircraft was within acceptable weight limits, carried no dangerous goods, and both pilots were adequately rested and had passed breath analyser tests an hour before the flight.
International investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board, UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Boeing, and General Electric have joined the Indian-led investigation. The absence of any urgent safety recommendations or multi-operator messages from Boeing or GE suggests mechanical failure is not immediately suspected.
This preliminary report answers some questions, but it poses other questions,” former NTSB member Tom Guzzetti noted.
As investigators continue their work, the aviation industry awaits answers about how a routine flight turned catastrophic in just 32 seconds, marking the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 since its introduction in 2011 and Air India’s first fatal accident since 1985.
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