It appeared to be a typical morning on June 12, 2025, but what transpired at noon rocked the world. Under normal circumstances, Air India Flight 171, a scheduled international passenger flight, took off from Ahmedabad Airport in India to London Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. But nobody knew what was going to happen in the next few minutes. About 30 seconds after taking off, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying the flight crashed. Soon after takeoff, the plane started to lose altitude while keeping its nose up and wings level.
The fact that the plane crashed into the Ahmedabad hostel block of B.J. Medical College is even more horrific. The aircraft crew reported a lack of thrust and power, resulting in a mayday call. On impact, the collision resulted in several explosions. Twelve crew members and 230 passengers were on board the plane. Except for one passenger, all were perished. In addition, the crash claimed 19 lives and left 67 more injured on the ground. Now, the preliminary report on the terrible crash was released on Saturday by the Aviation Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). So, let’s get to know what actually went wrong with the airplane.
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Preliminary Inquiry Report on Ahmedabad Plane Crash
1. Mid-air cutoff of fuel for both engines
At 08:08:39 UTC, three seconds after liftoff, the fuel cutoff switches for both engines activated, one second apart. According to the report, the aircraft reached its highest recorded airspeed of 180 knots IAS at approximately 08:08:42 UTC. Immediately after that, the fuel cutoff switches for Engines 1 and 2 went from the RUN to the CUTOFF position, one after the other, with a one-second lag.
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2. Confusion in the cockpit
The voice clip from the cockpit shows confusion in the last moments. According to the report, the voice recording from the cockpit reveals that one of the pilots asked to other pilot about why he cut off fuel. In response, the other pilot said he didn’t. The investigators are investigating whether a technical breakdown, an accident, or human intervention activated the switches.
3. Engine relighting attempt
The report reveals that as soon as the flight took off, pilots found that both engines were shut down. The pilots then attempted to relight the engines as per the recovered flight data. Despite several attempts to reintroduce fuel, Engine 2 did not recover, and Engine 1 showed a partial response momentarily. This malfunction prevented the airplane from maintaining thrust. Ultimately, by then, the aircraft has already lost significant altitude.
4. Deployment of emergency RAT
Immediately after takeoff, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency power source that is used in the event of a power outage, was deployed. It provides a clear signal that vital systems were losing electrical power. The deployment was later confirmed via airport CCTV footage.
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5. Mayday call not verified
Just before 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots made a distress call, saying, “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY.” However, when the air traffic controller made an effort to verify the call sign, but got no answer. The plane crashed a few seconds later.
6. The aircraft crashed with its nose up
According to flight path analysis, the plane struck buildings close to BJ Medical College with level wings and an 8° nose-up pitch. The airplane was unable to maintain flight with neither engine providing any thrust.
7. Thrust levers discovered at idle
The flight data showed the takeoff position during the flight. While the takeoff power was engaged, the thrust levers were discovered to be in the idle position following the collision. It was determined that the landing gear and flaps were in their typical takeoff settings, excluding any unusual configuration as a contributing cause.
8. The debris was dispersed 1,000 feet
The aircraft broke up over a large area, striking several structures. Engines and landing gear were among the debris scattered over more than 1,000 feet, demonstrating the impact’s severity and trajectory. Investigators used drone photography to document the scene before securing key components.
9. Experienced pilots
Another important detail on this report is that as of now, the investigators have assigned no blame to the flight captain and his co-pilot. Both are very experienced. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had 15,600 hours of flying experience, while the co-pilot Clive Kunder had 3,400+ hours, including extensive Dreamliner training. Both were declared fit and well-rested before the flight. However, despite this, they are not ruling out the possibility of any human error.
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10. Safety advisory not followed
A 2018 FAA bulletin flagged possible risks with the locking mechanism of fuel switches. However, Air India has not performed the suggested inspections, despite Boeing issuing an optional advisory regarding fuel control switch locking mechanisms. In 2019 and 2023, the throttle control modules of the aircraft were replaced.
11. Favorable weather
The report also states that there were clear skies and light winds during the takeoff, with no abnormal weather conditions reported.
12. The aircraft was airworthy
Maintenance records show the aircraft had no mechanical issues, and the aircraft’s airworthiness certification was still in effect. The aircraft had passed all safety checks prior to departure. Fuel control was unaffected, despite a few minor Category C and D MEL (Minimum Equipment List) problems. Interestingly, there had never been any prior reports of problems with fuel cutoff switches.
13. No external interference
As per the report, investigators ruled out that any bird strikes, fuel contamination, or sabotage interfered with the takeoff of the flight. Additionally, it was revealed that the fuel loaded in Ahmedabad was clean and standard.
14. Flight carries no hazardous cargo
While people initially speculated that the crash happened due to the overloading of fuel or hazardous cargo, the report denies this. The aircraft carried no dangerous goods and was operating within permissible weight and balance.
15. Recorder & ELT failures
Standard recovery techniques were unable to recover the rear enhanced flight data recorder due to its significant damage. There has also been no explanation or interim recommendation provided for why the ELT did not transmit its distress signal following the collision. It could have an impact on the efficacy of rescue and timeline restoration.
BREAKING 🚨
In #Ahmedabad Air India Flight crash 242 passenger on broad
Please pray for 🙏😞#planecrash pic.twitter.com/QevQ2clEuc
— Ashish Singh (@AshishSinghKiJi) June 12, 2025
What does Air India and Boeing have to say about this report?
After the report was released, Air India declared that it is fully assisting with the inquiry. In an official statement, Air India stated,
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Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.
On the other hand, Boeing stated that they continue to support the investigation and will defer to the AAIB to provide information regarding AI171.
Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected on the ground in Ahmedabad. We continue to support the investigation and our customer… We will defer to the AAIB to provide information about AI171, in adherence with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization protocol known as Annex 13.
Meanwhile, the AAIB study confirms ongoing component inspections, post-mortem reports, and wreckage analysis. According to the study, operators and makers of GE GEnx-1B and/or B787-8 engines are not advised to take any action at this time in the inquiry. The final investigative report is anticipated to be revealed within a year.
Also read: 27 Facts About Air India Every Indian Should Know
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What do you think about these findings? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
