12-07-2025
Air India crash report updates: Fuel switches were cut off before plane went down, preliminary findings say
Fuel supply to the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last month was cut off just seconds after the flight took off, a preliminary report by Indian aviation accident investigators has said.
The London Gatwick-bound flight came down in a residential area of Ahmedabad on 12 June, killing a total of 260 people.
The 15-page document published by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is part of the ongoing probe into what caused the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to come down, found that fuel control switches were moved to 'cut-off' position as the aircraft rose from take-off.
The report also includes a conversation between the pilots on the fuel controls before the crash.
'In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut-off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,' the report said.
Of the 242 people onboard flight AI171 to London Gatwick, 241 were killed, including 53 British nationals. The flight crashed into a hostel complex at Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, killing several students and residents on the ground.
Only one passenger – a British-Indian man seated in 11A – survived.
Fuel samples tested and found to be normal, report says
Fuel taken from the airport's bowsers and tanks used to refuel the plane was tested by the aviation regulator's lab and found satisfactory, the preliminary report said.
Only very small amounts of fuel could be retrieved from parts of the crashed aircraft itself.
These will be tested separately at a specialist lab, investigators said.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 03:00
Wreckage moved and examined after crash
Investigators say the wreckage from the Air India crash has been moved to a secure area near Ahmedabad airport.
Drone photos and videos were taken at the site before the wreckage was cleared, the report said.
Both of the aircraft's engines have been recovered from the crash site and stored in a hangar for detailed checks, the report added.
Other important components have also been identified and quarantined for further examination.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 02:28
Plane had been checked for technical issue before flight
On the morning of the flight, engineers had checked the aircraft for a technical alert after it landed from Delhi, but cleared it to fly, the report said.
The pilots had arrived the day before, had enough rest, and passed pre-flight alcohol tests, it added.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 01:58
Crash happened seconds after take-off, report says
A preliminary report into the Air India flight that crashed in June shows the engines lost power just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad.
Investigators say the plane initially lifted off normally and reached 180 knots. But almost immediately, both engine fuel switches flipped from 'run' to 'cutoff' within about a second of each other, cutting off fuel and causing the engines to shut down.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 01:43
What next after preliminary report published
The investigation remains ongoing.
Under international rules, a full report must be published within a year of the accident.
For now, experts are continuing to study the black box data and other evidence to understand what caused the sudden loss of power so soon after take-off.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 01:29
Air India flight 'was doomed' without sufficient power, says travel expert Simon Calder
Air India flight 'was doomed' without sufficient power, says Simon Calder
After studying the preliminary report on the Air India crash, The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder picks out three elements of the 32-second flight
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 01:14
Watch | Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 00:59
Blackboxes were found on 24 June
On 24 June, the two black boxes were flown separately from Ahmedabad to an AAIB lab in Delhi on Indian Air Force aircraft.
That evening, investigators began extracting the data with help from technical experts from the AAIB and NTSB.
By 25 June, they had successfully accessed and downloaded data from the front recorder, which has an independent backup power supply to keep recording for about ten minutes if the plane loses power.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 00:36
Timeline of events: 12-16 June
12 June: Air India flight crashes after take-off
On 12 June, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner heading for London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. Of the 242 people on board, only one survived. This was the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade, sparking an urgent investigation by Indian authorities.
13 June: Full investigation launched with U.S. experts involved
The day after the crash, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) formally launched an investigation. The team is led by the AAIB's director general and includes specialists in aviation medicine and air traffic control, alongside representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The investigation focused on recovering and analysing the plane's black boxes.
13–16 June: Black boxes recovered from the crash site
Boeing 787 aircraft have two data recorders, one at the front and one at the rear, each storing cockpit voice and flight data. On 13 June, the first black box was recovered from the roof of a building near the crash site. Three days later, on 16 June, the second recorder was found among the wreckage.
Jabed Ahmed12 July 2025 00:09
Watch | The British victims of Air India plane crash
