Fuel to engines on doomed Air India plane 'cut off' moments before crash killed 260, report finds
by Jacob Paul · LBCBy Jacob Paul
A preliminary report into the Air India Flight 171 crash that killed 260 people has found that fuel to the engines of the doomed plane cut off just after take off.
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The Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, plummeted back to earth in the densely populated city of Ahmedabad, hitting doctors’ accommodation and a student canteen minutes after leaving the runway last year.
The incident killed 229 passengers, including 52 Brits. 12 crew members were killed while just one man, British citizen Viswash Kumar Ramesh, came out alive.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) launched a formal investigation was into the cause of the crash.
Initial findings suggest 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," according to flight recorder data.
Read more: Investigators look into Air India's vital engine switches after plane crash killed 270 people
This reportedly caused both of the engines to lose thrust, the report found.
"The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off," investigators said.
A voice recording from the cockpit showed the pilots became confused, with one heard asking the other why h "cut off".
The other pilot denied that this was the case.
They were able to restart one of the engines , but could not reverse the plane's deceleration, the report found.No significant bird activity was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path, the report added.
Experts say the fault could have been due to a technical error or software issue, but pilot error has also not been ruled out.
The findings are still preliminary and a probe remains ongoing.
It comes 30 days since the disaster took place.
Errors made by the two Air India pilots have reportedly been the focus of the investigation.
Plane captain Sumeet Sabharwal and first officer Clive Kundar, had more than 9,000 hours of flying time between them.
Moments before the crash, Sabharwal reportedly called out 'Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' in a panicked warning, according to reports.
Footage shows the pilots despreftaly attempting to nudge up the plane's nose as they scrambled to avoid a crash.
The Boeing was around 400ft above ground when it lost power in both engines. The plane was reportedly flying at a height of 625 feet, less than a minute after take off, at the time signal was lost.
It took just 17 seconds for the vehicle to then plunge into a medical college filled with doctors. At least 50 people on the ground were reportedly killed, with scores more injured.
An Air India spokesperson said: “Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident.
"We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.“We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025.
“Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully co-operate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.
“Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.”