Air India AI 171 Crash: What Happened?

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into the hostel buildings of the B. J. Medical College in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, resulting in 260 fatalities (241 on board and 19 on the ground). There was only one survivor from the aircraft. Sequence of Events: Takeoff: The flight, bound for London Gatwick, was cleared for takeoff from Ahmedabad's Runway 23 around 1:38 p.m. IST. Engine Cutoff: Just three seconds after lifting off, the fuel control switches for both engines moved from the "RUN" to the "CUTOFF" position within a one-second interval. Loss of Thrust: This action immediately cut the fuel supply, causing both engines to lose thrust and the plane to lose altitude rapidly. Cockpit Confusion: The cockpit voice recording captured one pilot asking the other, "Why did you cut off?", to which the other replied that he had not done so. Mayday Call & Crash: Pilots attempted to recover by moving the switches back to "RUN" and systems like the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed for emergency power, but it was too late. A "Mayday" call was transmitted just before the plane, having reached a maximum altitude of around 650 feet, plummeted into a densely populated area. Aftermath & Investigation: The aircraft crashed into the B.J. Medical College hostel complex, causing a massive fire and extensive damage to five buildings. Emergency services rushed to the scene, and rescue operations were extensive. The preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) confirmed the fuel cutoff but did not assign a cause for the switch movements. The investigation is ongoing, with pilot groups and aviation experts debating whether the cause was human error or an undetected technical flaw, which has led to some controversy regarding the preliminary findings. The flight number AI 171 has since been retired. #AI171 #AirIndia171 #AhmedabadPlaneCrash #AirIndiaCrash #PlaneCrash #AviationTragedy #AhmedabadTragedy #gujaratplanecrash