Air India Plane Crash: Truth of Ahmedabad plane crash revealed from pilot’s conversation?

Here is a detailed narrative-style article in English (≈1,500 words) summarizing the AAIB’s preliminary report on the devastating June 12 Air India crash near Ahmedabad:

The Ahmedabad Nightmare: How an Inexplicable Fuel Cut Sailed a Dreamliner into Disaster

On that fateful morning of June 12, 2025, anticipation and routine guided Air India Flight 171 wheels-down at Ahmedabad Airport. A sleek Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, scheduled for London Gatwick, lifted off at 08:08 IST and within mere seconds turned into a nightmare that would claim nearly 260 lives. What transpired between takeoff and impact has shaken aviation’s global confidence. Now, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a preliminary report revealing disturbing clues: an unprecedented dual-engine fuel cutoff, frantic cockpit confusion, and a race against lost altitude that tragically ended at a medical-college building.

Seconds That Shattered The Sky

According to the AAIB’s 15-page interim report, mere moments after takeoff, something went catastrophically wrong. Around 08:08:42 UTC (13:38 IST), at roughly 180 knots, both engine fuel control switches shifted from “RUN” to “CUTOFF,” halting fuel supply to both engines almost instantaneously (mint, The Washington Post). Mechanical safeguards—designed to prevent accidental switch-offs—should have stopped this from occurring, making the double cutoff nearly inexplicable .

In the cockpit, alarm bells would have already rung. Recordings reveal one pilot questioning the other: “Why did you cut off?” The reply: “I did not” (The Washington Post). With engines sputtering, they attempted to restart them by switching the fuel controls back to RUN. Engine 1 responded weakly—its core speed and exhaust-gas temperature hinted at a relight—but Engine 2 never stabilized (Business Standard). As thrust vanished, lift dropped; the Dreamliner slowed, descendent trajectory unrelenting.

At 08:09 UTC, the pilots issued a frantic “MAYDAY,” but by then, there was no salvation above 600 feet. The aircraft hurtled into a dormitory at BJ Medical College, and into tragedy (India TV News, People.com). Flames erupted across buildings. One lone passenger, a British citizen, miraculously survived; everyone else onboard and 19 people on the ground perished (Business Standard).

Mechanical Malfunction or Human Failure?

This catastrophe marks the first hull loss of a Boeing 787 globally and the deadliest aviation disaster in India in nearly 30 years (Financial Times). The AAIB’s top-line findings hint at a confluence of mechanical mystery and possible human error, but do not assign blame.

Some aviation experts reference a 2018 FAA bulletin that warned of potential issues with the fuel-switch locking mechanism on Boeing 787s, advising inspections that were never mandated or pursued by Air India (mint). The panel notes Air India had skipped those recommended checks, despite recent engine overhauls (Barron’s). Could mechanical wear or a latent defect have unlocked the switches? Or did a pilot—or even ground technician—mistakenly (or intentionally) trigger the cutoff? The cockpit dialogue hints at deep confusion and denial .

The Black Box Speaks

Critical data comes from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)—the “black boxes.” Their retrieval marked a turning point: both were recovered and contained viable information. One CVR decoded the fatal exchange; the FDR captured engine parameters, thrust levels, and timings (AP News). Simultaneously, investigators reconstructed parts of the aircraft near the crash site, cross-referencing physical damage with recorded data (India Today).

The precise mechanics of the cutoff remain under scrutiny. Could a single switch flick inadvertently trigger both engines’ fuel cutoff? If so, when and how did it occur? Was it electrical, mechanical, or even external sabotage? Engineers from Boeing, GE, and the FAA, along with NTSB advisers, are all on board this exhaustive probe (The Washington Post).

Timeline of Tragedy

08:08:39 UTC – Takeoff achieved.
08:08:42 UTC – Both switches cut fuel to engines 1 and 2, 1 second apart.
Seconds later – Engine 1 restarts; Engine 2 fails.
08:09:05 UTC – “MAYDAY” call sent.
Crash occurs moments after into BJ Medical College campus (Wikipedia, mint, Outlook India, Business Standard).

Flight data shows the landing gear remained down, and the emergency Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed, confirming a total engine failure (The Washington Post).

Public Safety Oversight and Rebuilding Trust

In wake of this horror, the government fast-tracked policy scrutiny. A high-level committee led by the Home Secretary and comprising aviation safety, disaster response, forensic, intelligence, and regulatory officials was formed to recommend broad safety reforms within three months (Onmanorama: Kerala News & Videos).

The DGCA meanwhile issued a show-cause to Air India and demanded operational audit logs since 2024—citing failures in crew rostering and safety oversight (mint). Meanwhile, Air India assured full cooperation, released compensation statements, and slowed fleet operations pending thorough technical assessments (India TV News).

What Lies Ahead

The preliminary report answers some questions while deepening others: How did both fuel switches move to cutoff so fast? Did human error follow mechanical failure—or vice versa? If mechanical weakness existed in this aircraft’s fuel system, are others vulnerable too? Aviation leaders await final findings—mechanical tests, human factors interviews, maintenance logs, and cockpit replay reconstructions.

The full AAIB report is expected in the coming months, with final safety recommendations to Boeing, GE, FAA, and Air India. These may include mandated inspections, design tweaks to prevent inadvertent fuel shutoffs, more robust pilot training protocols for dual-engine failures, or even cockpit video installation.

A Cloud Over a Dream

This tragedy, unfolding in 32 precious seconds, underscores aviation’s vulnerability to rare but catastrophic anomalies. A routine takeoff ended in horror—lives extinguished, families devastated, a city scarred. And as India reassesses compliance, training, maintenance, and cockpit design, the hope is that such a crash never occurs again.

Flight AI 171’s final seconds have taught a painful lesson: in high-stakes environments, redundancy and vigilance are non-negotiable. As the investigation progresses, investigators, regulators, manufacturers, and airlines must heed every warning, every anomaly, and every chance for improvement. The Dreamliner, once hailed as aviation’s next frontier, now stands humbled—and safety must become its guiding star once more.

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