Fatal Cockpit Mistake? Air India Pilots May Have Triggered Crash That Killed 260+
Fuel cutoff switch was flipped seconds after takeoff, leading to catastrophic engine failure, investigators reveal.
TwitterA preliminary investigation into the deadly Air India Flight 171 crash has revealed that a critical error by the flight crew may have caused the disaster that claimed more than 260 lives last month.
According to a report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, the engine fuel cutoff switch, normally used only at airport gates or in emergencies, was flipped just three seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. The move immediately cut off fuel to both engines, causing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to lose thrust and crash shortly afterward.
The aircraft was bound for London and carrying 241 people. All but one perished when the plane went down, slamming into a medical college and killing an additional 19 people on the ground. The sole survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was found limping from the wreckage, miraculously alive and still clutching his boarding pass.
Investigators have not yet determined how or why the fuel cutoff occurred. However, U.S. aviation experts noted that the switches are designed to prevent accidental engagement.
“It’s very difficult to flip these switches by mistake,” said aviation analyst Anthony Brickhouse, “If it was a manual action, we need to understand why.”
Cockpit audio included in the report captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been shut off, to which the pilot responded, “I did not do so.” A mayday distress call was made moments later, but the report did not specify which pilot issued it.
The Dreamliner’s captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, and co-pilot, Clive Kunder, were both seasoned aviators with a combined 19,000 hours of flight experience. Both died in the crash. Although the cutoff switches were later found in the "run" position, indicating the engines may have been relit just before impact, it was too late to regain control. Both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the crash site and will be critical in uncovering the full sequence of events. Investigators will now focus on whether a mechanical failure or a deliberate human action was responsible for the initial fuel cutoff.
The crash marks one of the deadliest in India’s aviation history and has sparked widespread calls for answers, accountability, and improved safety procedures.