Cause Revealed of Air India Plane Crash: Fuel Was Turned Off and 1 Pilot Blamed the Other, Preliminary Report Shows

Only one passenger survived the crash, which happened minutes after liftoff from the Ahmedabad airport in western India

A view of the site after a plane crashed following takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat
Air India crash.Credit : Central Industrial Security Force / Handout/Anadolu via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Authorities released information following an investigation into the Air India Boeing 787-8 crash on June 12
  • The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau preliminary report stated that soon before the June 12 crash, fuel to the aircraft’s engines was cut off
  • The passenger plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members from Ahmedabad in western India to London’s Gatwick Airport

Authorities in India have released the preliminary results of their investigation into the the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in June that killed 229 of the 230 passengers aboard and all 12 crew members.

preliminary report published by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau early on Saturday, July 12 (local time), stated that soon before the June 12 crash, fuel to the aircraft’s engines was cut off. The plane was on its way from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport at the time.

At 8:08 a.m., “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” the report states.

Black box audio from the cockpit recorded “one of the pilots … asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”

“At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted ‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY,’ ” according to the report.

Emergency officials responded to the wreckage at 8:14 a.m.

“Investigation is continuing and the investigation team will review and examine additional evidence, records and information that is being sought from the stakeholders,” the report concluded.

The back of Air India flight 171 is pictured at the site after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad
Air India flight 171 crashed into a college hostel in a residential area.SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty

“Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident,” the airline said in a statement in reponse to the new report. “We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.”

“Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB,” the company’s statement added.

The passenger jet carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members crashed minutes after takeoff on Thursday, June 12. The plane hit a college hostel in a residential area when it crash-landed in Ahmedabad, bursting into flames. 

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Clive Kunder

The sole survivor of the crash was identified by doctors as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, according to the 

“He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti previously told AP about the survivor. “But he seems to be out of danger.”

“I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes — the air hostesses and two people,” Ramesh told  from his hospital bed at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, adding, “I walked out of the rubble.”

Aircraft debris at the crash site of Air India Ltd. flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner traveling from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick airport crashed shortly after taking off, in what stands to be the most serious accident involving the US planemaker's most advanced widebody airliner
Aircraft debris from the Air India crash.Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty

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“Even I can’t believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too. But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realized I was alive. I still can’t believe how I survived,” he continued.

Ramesh recalled what happened before the crash: “When the flight took off, within 5 to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering — green and white — then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there,” he reportedly said.

According to the plane was operated by Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder.

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