‘Fault Within Aircraft’: Aviation Expert Suggests No Pilot Error After Air India Crash Probe Report

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 11:23 IST

An aviation expert on Saturday attributed the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 last month, which claimed 141 lives, to an internal fault within the aircraft.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was being operated by a two-member cockpit crew. (File)

Ahmedabad Air India Crash: An aviation expert on Saturday attributed the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 last month, which claimed 141 lives, to an internal fault within the aircraft.

Sanat Kaul responded to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary probe report into the Ahmedabad crash incident, which involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner travelling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12.

“From the report I have seen, there was no other reason for the aircraft to go down but the manufacturing part. It appears that the fuel was cut off on takeoff," he said.

The initial probe report revealed that both engines of the ill-fated aircraft shut down mid-air just seconds after takeoff, as the fuel cutoff switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF within one second of each other.

During the time, one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?" The other responded, “I didn’t," indicating confusion in the cockpit. The entire conversation was recorded.

“The voice recorder makes it clear that neither the commander nor the co-pilot switched off the jet fuel switch. This is some fault within the aircraft that the jet fuel switch turned off automatically," Kaul added.

According to the initial AAIB report, the aircraft remained airborne for only 32 seconds and crashed 0.9 nautical miles from the runway, hitting a medical hostel complex.

A previous FAA advisory had alerted operators to a potential flaw in the fuel control switch locking feature, but Air India did not inspect since the advisory was not mandatory.

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