The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India has released its preliminary report into the devastating June 12 Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the deaths of 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew and 19 on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, went down just seconds after take-off.
Here are the 10 key takeaways from the AAIB's 15-page initial report:
1. Simultaneous Fuel Cutoff Triggered Engine Shutdown
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Both engine fuel control switches moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” within one second of each other shortly after takeoff.
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This cut off fuel supply to both engines, leading to instantaneous loss of thrust mid-air.
2. Disturbing Cockpit Exchange Captured
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The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) picked up a chilling exchange:
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One pilot: “Why did you cutoff?”
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The other pilot: “I did not.”
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This raised the possibility of a technical malfunction, crew miscommunication, or a mysterious activation.
3. Crash Impacted BJ Medical College Hostel
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The aircraft crashed into a building at BJ Medical College hostel, seconds after take-off.
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This caused collateral fatalities, with 19 ground casualties.
4. Aircraft Reached 180 Knots Before Failure
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Before the engines failed, the plane had accelerated to 180 knots.
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The simultaneous engine cutoff led to an irreversible loss of airspeed and altitude.
5. Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Deployment Confirmed Power Loss
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CCTV footage near the runway showed RAT deployment immediately after takeoff.
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RAT is an emergency device that activates during total power loss, confirming both engines had completely shut down.
6. Fuel Switches Reset to ‘RUN’ — Partial Engine Response
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After the initial shutdown, pilots moved both switches back to “RUN.”
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Engine 2 briefly recovered but failed to stabilize.
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Engine 1 showed no effective recovery, and full thrust could not be restored on either engine.
7. Bird Strike Ruled Out
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Investigators found no evidence of bird activity near the airport or along the flight path.
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This eliminates bird strike as a possible cause for the dual engine failure.
8. Throttle Settings Remained at Takeoff Position
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Though thrust levers were set to takeoff mode until impact, they were later found in idle position, likely due to post-crash thermal damage.
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No evidence suggests pilots throttled back before impact.
9. Flight Recorder Partially Recovered
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The forward Extended Airframe Flight Recorder (EAFR) was successfully retrieved and downloaded.
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The aft EAFR was badly damaged, and its data could not be recovered by conventional methods.
10. No Safety Advisory Yet from AAIB
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The AAIB has not issued any advisory to Boeing or GE engine operators.
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Investigation is ongoing, and root cause — whether technical, human, or procedural — is still undetermined.
Summary
This preliminary report confirms that the catastrophic failure stemmed from the uncommanded or unexplained transition of both fuel control switches to CUTOFF mode, causing both engines to shut down mid-air — a rare and deeply alarming event on a modern commercial aircraft.
The final report is expected to delve deeper into whether this was a software fault, mechanical failure, sabotage, or pilot error. Until then, no formal safety recommendation has been made.
This tragedy underscores the critical role of seemingly small cockpit components, such as the fuel control switches, and how milliseconds of misactivation or unexplained transition — can lead to disastrous consequences.
