Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London Gatwick. The incident, which occurred within a minute of becoming airborne, resulted in the death of 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground. The Crash Event Timeline: The aircraft lifted off the runway at 1:38:46 p.m. IST. Just seconds later, the fuel control switches for both engines abruptly moved to the "cutoff" position, one second apart, starving them of fuel. The plane lost thrust and height, with the pilots issuing a "Mayday" call at 1:39:05 p.m. IST. The aircraft crashed into a hostel building at the B. J. Medical College approximately 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) from the runway end at 1:39:19 p.m. IST. Impact and Damage: The right wing of the plane cut through the top floor dining room of the four-story student accommodation complex during lunchtime. The impact caused the aircraft to break apart and a massive fire to ignite, which burned for nearly six hours and severely damaged five buildings. Casualties: The total death toll was 260. The sole survivor from the aircraft was a 40-year-old British citizen, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was seated by an emergency exit and escaped through an opening in the wreckage. 🔎 Investigation and Findings Preliminary Report: A preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released in July 2025, confirmed the fuel control switches for both engines moved to the cutoff position shortly after takeoff. The report noted cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking, "Why did you cut off?", to which the other replied they "did not do so," indicating confusion over the event. Cause Still Unknown: While the immediate cause of the power loss was the fuel cutoff, the reason for the switches moving remains under investigation. Prior Warnings: The AAIB report mentioned a 2018 FAA advisory warning about a potential flaw in similar fuel switches on Boeing 737 aircraft, which Air India had not addressed with mandatory inspections. Air India stated the aircraft's maintenance records showed no prior issues with the fuel switches. Air India has since retired the flight number AI171 out of respect for the victims. #AI171 #AirIndiaCrash #AhmedabadPlaneCrash #PlaneCrash #AviationNews #AviationTragedy #CrashInvestigation #GujaratNews #Boeing787