Pilots Were 'Medically Fit, Rested & Had Adequate Experience': Air India Crash Probe Report

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 10:30 IST

The report pointed to pilot error or possible sabotage, as it said fuel supply to the engines was cut off, leading to the crash

Air India crash initial report says credentials of the pilots were clear.

The pilots flying the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed moments after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport, were “medically fit and rested, with adequate experience on the type" of aircraft, the preliminary probe report revealed on Saturday.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report, which said the credentials of the pilots were clear, also revealed the final cockpit conversation between 56-year-old Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and 32-year-old First Officer Clive Kundar, both of whom were killed in the crash.

The report clearly stated that fuel supply to the engines was cut off, leading to the crash. It says the “Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second".

This seems to point to a pilot error or possibly sabotage, as there are safety rails across both sides of the fuel cutoff switches to avoid any accidental touch. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report notes as a crucial detail.

Though the pilots tried to relight the engines, it was too late and there was simply not enough time to avoid a crash. The probe so far has also ruled out a possible bird hit for the engines turning off.

Apoorva Misra

Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. S...Read More

Apoorva Misra is News Editor at News18.com with over nine years of experience. She is a graduate from Delhi University's Lady Shri Ram College and holds a PG Diploma from Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. S...

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News india Pilots Were 'Medically Fit, Rested & Had Adequate Experience': Air India Crash Probe Report