The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary findings on the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight AI171, which claimed 260 lives in Ahmedabad shortly after midnight on Saturday. The 15-page report, issued exactly one month after India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades, sheds light on the chilling final moments captured in cockpit voice recordings, raising critical questions about the cause of the simultaneous failure of both engines during takeoff.
According to the AAIB, a startling exchange between the pilots was recorded moments before the crash. One pilot was heard questioning, “Why did you cut off?” referring to the fuel supply to the engines, to which the other replied, “I didn’t do it.” This dialogue suggests that the pilots were caught off guard by the sudden fuel cutoff, with neither claiming responsibility for the action. The report notes that the fuel cutoff switches, which control the flow of fuel to the engines, moved from the “RUN” to the “CUTOFF” position nearly simultaneously, within a second of each other.
This abrupt shutdown caused the immediate deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as the aircraft rapidly lost altitude, unable to maintain powered flight. The report does not yet pinpoint the cause of the dual-engine failure, leaving investigators and the public grappling with unanswered questions.
At this stage, the AAIB has not issued recommendations for Boeing, the manufacturer of the B787-8 aircraft, or General Electric, which produces the GE GEnx-1B engines. This comes amid intense public scrutiny and criticism directed at Boeing following the tragedy.
Boeing responded in a statement, saying, “We defer to the AAIB for information regarding AI171, in line with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13 protocol.”
The report marks the first official insight into the disaster, as the investigation continues to unravel the mystery behind the fuel cutoff that led to one of India’s worst aviation tragedies.
Read the full report here: