Preliminary report of the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad Has been released and one of key findings confirms what had been suspected – both engines of plane had shut down mid-air within seconds of take-off
By Nilambar Rath
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, because both of its engines were deprived of fuel just as the aircraft was lifting into the air, a preliminary investigation has found. The revelation comes from the aircraft’s flight recorders, which captured the critical moments before the tragedy that claimed the lives of 241 people on board and over 19 on the ground.
What the Initial Report Tells Us:
- Both Engines Stopped: The main reason for the crash was that both engines were shut down right after the plane was in the air.
- Black Box Recording: The flight recorder captured the engine data and the pilots’ conversation, which was key to understanding what happened.
- Pilot Confusion: The report suggests the fuel switches were turned to “OFF,” but a recording from the cockpit reveals the pilots were confused about who did it.
The preliminary report, released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), provides a chilling, second-by-second account of the final moments of Air India Flight AI171, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport.
The AAIB, India’s independent body for investigating aviation accidents, is leading the probe with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Boeing, and engine manufacturer General Electric.
A Disaster in Seconds
According to the black box data, the flight started what looked like a normal takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport. The plane, with the registration VT-ANB, reached its takeoff speed of about 178 miles per hour (155 knots) and lifted off the runway.
But just seconds later, things went horribly wrong. The report says that after reaching its top speed of about 207 mph (180 knots), “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF.”
This action was like turning off the ignition key in a car—it starved the plane’s two powerful jet engines of fuel, causing them to shut down. Losing both engines at such a low altitude gave the pilots no time to save the aircraft.
A Voice from the Black Box
The plane had two flight recorders. While one was badly damaged in the crash, the other provided investigators with about 49 hours of flight data and a two-hour audio recording from the cockpit.
That recording captured a frantic exchange between the 56-year-old captain and the 32-year-old co-pilot. The report says, “one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.” This short, desperate conversation suggests that the shutdown was either a terrible mistake or a massive misunderstanding in the cockpit.
Investigators believe the pilots tried to restart the engines, as the switches were found in the “RUN” position in the wreckage. The flight data confirms they were flipped back on, and one engine began to relight. But it was too little, too late. The plane was already too low to recover.
Just before the recording ended, a pilot sent out a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” distress call. It was the last anyone heard from Flight AI171.
The Crash and its Aftermath
The Boeing 787, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew, crashed into a nearby medical college hostel. The impact and the massive fire that followed destroyed the plane and heavily damaged five buildings.
The human cost was devastating. Of the 242 people on the plane, only one passenger survived. The crash also killed at least 19 people on the ground. The victims were from several countries, including India, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Canada.
The investigation is still ongoing, but the initial findings point away from a mechanical failure and toward a human error in the cockpit. The final report will hopefully give an answer to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.
(A veteran media personality, communication specialist and SBCC expert, the author is the Editor of OdishaLIVE and OdishaPlus, leading the strategy for their digital and social media channels.)