Shocking Cockpit Confusion in Air India Crash Raises Critical Questions
The preliminary report into the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash has sent shockwaves through the aviation community and the public alike. As we now know, 260 people lost their lives when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. Among them were 241 people on board, including crew members and passengers from multiple nationalities, and 19 others on the ground. The only survivor was British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who miraculously escaped the wreckage through a break in the fuselage.
What’s most alarming about this early investigation is the apparent cockpit confusion just seconds before the crash. According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), both engine fuel control switches were moved from the “RUN” to the “CUTOFF” position almost immediately after the aircraft reached its top recorded airspeed. These switches are critical—moving them to “CUTOFF” literally stops fuel from reaching the engines. In this case, both engines began to lose thrust as a result.
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The cockpit voice recording paints a disturbing picture. One pilot can be heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other responds, “I did not.” The report does not specify which pilot said what, but at the time of the crash, the co-pilot was flying while the captain was monitoring.
Attempts were made to restart the engines once the issue was noticed. One engine did begin the recovery process, but not fast enough to reverse the aircraft’s rapid descent. The second engine relit but failed to regain thrust. The plane sent out a mayday signal moments before plummeting into a densely populated neighborhood, destroying five buildings and killing several people on the ground, including medical students staying in a hostel near the hospital.
Contrary to early theories, the report confirms that no bird activity was detected along the flight path, ruling out a bird strike as a cause. Additionally, the black boxes—both flight data and cockpit voice recorders—were recovered and analyzed. The initial findings are clear: there was no technical fault found in the aircraft or its engines at this stage.
The investigation team, which includes experts from India’s AAIB, the US NTSB, air traffic controllers, and aviation medicine specialists, is working to reconstruct the exact sequence of events. While the preliminary report stops short of drawing final conclusions, it unmistakably shifts the spotlight onto pilot actions and cockpit procedures. This raises serious concerns about what led to the accidental—or perhaps inadvertent—shutdown of both engines during a critical phase of flight.
For now, we wait for the final report, but the gravity of this preliminary finding already poses major implications for aviation safety protocols. One wrong move—or a moment of miscommunication—can cost hundreds of lives. This tragedy is a stark reminder of just how high the stakes are every time a plane leaves the ground.
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