A preliminary report into the crash of Air India Flight 171, released shortly after midnight by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), has revealed a chilling exchange between the pilots moments before the aircraft’s engines lost power, resulting in India’s deadliest aviation accident in decades.
The 15-page report, published exactly one month after the crash that killed all 260 people on board, provides the first official narrative of the ill-fated flight’s final minutes and raises serious concerns about how both engines simultaneously shut down moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad .
“Why did you cut off?” one pilot is heard asking in the recovered cockpit voice recordings.
“I did not do so,” the other replied.
This exchange suggests that neither pilot was aware of — or admitted to — initiating the fuel cutoff that led to the engines losing thrust. The AAIB report confirmed that both fuel control switches, which regulate fuel supply to the engines, moved from the ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position within the same second — a sequence usually reserved for engine shutdowns during landing or fire emergencies.
The cutoff immediately triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) — a backup system for essential flight functions — as the aircraft began to lose altitude. Though one engine was later observed to have regained thrust, the plane could not recover in time. A mayday call was issued just before the aircraft crashed into residential quarters for medical staff near the airport.
At this stage, the AAIB has not recommended any action against the Boeing 787-8 aircraft model or GE’s GEnx-1B engines, pending further investigation. Both Boeing and General Electric have acknowledged the report but refrained from commenting, citing international investigation protocols.
In a statement, Boeing said it “will defer to the AAIB to provide information about AI171,” while reaffirming its continued cooperation. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also acknowledged India’s leadership in the investigation and noted the absence of directives for manufacturers.
Air India said it has received the report and is cooperating fully with investigators. “Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details,” the airline said.
The report has also drawn attention to a 2019 FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin regarding fuel control switches on Boeing 737s that were installed with the locking feature disengaged. While the issue was not considered an “unsafe condition” requiring a mandatory directive, the same switch design was present on the crashed B787, registered as VT-ANB.
As the bulletin was advisory, Air India did not inspect the switches. No faults were reported in the aircraft’s fuel control system since 2023, the report added.
The AAIB report has added to growing global scrutiny of Boeing, as it struggles to address multiple safety concerns across aircraft models. Though this crash involved a Boeing aircraft, the cause of the simultaneous fuel cutoff remains unexplained, and human error, mechanical failure, or system malfunction have not been ruled out.
Experts from Air India, Boeing, General Electric, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and international teams from the US and UK are assisting the investigation. A final and more detailed report is expected within a year.
Meanwhile, Air India has announced cuts in its international wide-body operations as it deals with operational disruptions and internal reviews in the wake of the tragedy. The crash has cast a long shadow over the airline’s business turnaround plans, following its 2022 acquisition by the Tata Group.
(With inputs from BBC and HT)
