Reason behind Air India Flight AI171 crash revealed: Dual engine shutdown caused mid-air disaster

Ahmedabad Air India plane crash: India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released the preliminary findings into the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which went down shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. The crash claimed the lives of 260 persons, including 241 of the 242 on board. According to the report released just after midnight on Saturday, both engines of the aircraft shut down mid-air within seconds of becoming airborne, resulting in a rapid descent and catastrophic impact.

Investigators found that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines transitioned from the ‘RUN’ position to ‘CUTOFF’ nearly simultaneously, disabling fuel supply to the engines. Notably, cockpit voice recordings captured a moment of confusion between the pilots. One asked, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other responded, “I didn’t.”

The report, based on data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), revealed a critical timeline:

At 08:08:52 UTC, Engine 1’s fuel cutoff switch moved to RUN.

Two seconds later, the APU inlet door began opening, consistent with automatic start procedures.

At 08:08:56 UTC, Engine 2’s switch also shifted to RUN.

The uncommanded shutdown triggered the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as the aircraft began to lose power and altitude.

Despite quick action by the pilots to restart both engines, only Engine 1 showed partial signs of thrust recovery. Engine 2 failed to stabilise. Within moments, the aircraft — which had momentarily reached 180 knots — began descending rapidly. At 08:09 UTC, a distress call ("MAYDAY") was issued, moments before the aircraft crashed into residential buildings near the airport perimeter.

The Dreamliner struck multiple structures, including the BJ Medical College hostel, causing major fires and damage to at least five buildings. Debris was scattered across a stretch of more than 1,000 feet, with major components like engines, the vertical stabiliser, and landing gear either embedded in buildings or lying in surrounding areas.

Registered as VT-ANB, the aircraft had been in active service since 2013 and had recently passed its routine maintenance checks. Investigators confirmed that there were no technical faults, fuel quality met all safety standards, and all Airworthiness Directives had been adhered to.

The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, with over 15,000 flying hours, and co-pilot Clive Kunder, 32, who had logged over 3,400 flying hours. Both were medically fit and had clean professional records with no recent duty violations.

While the exact cause behind the simultaneous engine shutdown remains under investigation, the AAIB's preliminary report suggests it was not due to mechanical failure, raising questions about possible inadvertent manual inputs or software anomalies.