Mystery Deepens: Air India Flight 171 Crash Report Raises Alarming Questions
So here’s what we now know about the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12, 2025—an event that has devastated hundreds of families and shocked the aviation world. A preliminary investigation has revealed some incredibly troubling and unusual findings that have raised more questions than answers.
According to the report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad, something went terribly wrong. Both of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel control switches—crucial levers that regulate the fuel flow to the engines—moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position within just one second. That effectively cut fuel supply to both engines almost immediately after takeoff. The aircraft, which was on its way to London, began to lose thrust and altitude—leading to a catastrophic crash that killed 260 people, including 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.
The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking, “Why did he cut off?”—a line that has now sparked intense debate. The other pilot responded that he didn’t do it. Investigators haven't disclosed which pilot said what, but that exchange is at the heart of the mystery. You see, these switches are not something you can accidentally brush against. They're centrally located, require force to operate, and are generally engaged only during very specific moments like engine shutdown at the gate or in rare emergency protocols.
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And yet, the switches somehow flipped—and then just as suddenly flipped back to "run," suggesting an attempt to restart the engines. Tragically, while one engine had started to regain power, it was already too late. The aircraft had lost too much altitude, and impact was inevitable.
Now, the emotional toll of this crash is just as massive as the technical mystery behind it. Families are grieving without closure. Ria Patel, the granddaughter of a 79-year-old victim, called the report “heartbreaking” and “incomplete.” She spoke of the unbearable pain of imagining her grandmother’s final moments and emphasized how justice cannot begin until full accountability is established. Other relatives, like Sameer Rafik, are calling for the cockpit recordings to be released publicly, demanding transparency from the Indian government and Air India.
The report also noted that there were no external factors—no bird strikes, no bad weather, no technical malfunctions detected prior to takeoff. The pilots had rested, passed preflight checks, and the aircraft was within all operational weight and fuel limits. Even the fuel samples were confirmed to be uncontaminated.
Yet one part of the report has sparked additional concern. It points out that back in 2018, the FAA issued a non-mandatory advisory to inspect certain fuel switch installations in Boeing aircraft, including the Dreamliner. But because it wasn't a compulsory directive, Air India reportedly did not carry out those inspections.
Now, investigators are still digging. Wreckage is being analyzed in secure hangars, flight data is under review, and detailed tests on fuel residue are pending. But for now, we’re left with an unsettling scenario where a technically advanced aircraft—piloted by experienced crew, under normal flying conditions—simply lost power seconds after takeoff.
This crash isn’t just a tragic anomaly. It’s a loud wake-up call about safety oversight, mechanical reliability, and transparency in commercial aviation. And until we get a full, detailed final report—expected to take up to a year—families and the flying public alike are left wondering: how could something so basic and so critical go so fatally wrong?
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