Preliminary probe reveals senior pilot may have inadvertently triggered deadly shutdown, prompting regulatory overhaul
New Delhi: 17 July 2025
In a shocking twist to the ongoing investigation of the Air India Flight 171 crash, new findings suggest that the senior pilot not the first officer switched off the fuel control seconds after takeoff, causing the catastrophic accident that killed 260 people on June 12.
According to cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the first officerâwho was piloting the aircraft questioned the captain’s decision to move both fuel control switches to the âcutoffâ position just moments after liftoff. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has confirmed in its July 12 preliminary report that the fuel switches were disengaged within a second of takeoff, but has yet to determine whether the action was accidental or intentional.
Only one person survived the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was traveling from Ahmedabad to London, when it crashed directly into a medical college building in Meghani Nagar, and that who escaped was one British-Indian national, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who exited through a damaged emergency exit.
While no mechanical faults were found in Air Indiaâs follow-up inspections of its 787 fleet, Indiaâs Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered mandatory checks on fuel switch locking systems for all Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft by July 21.
This situation reignited a long-standing aviation issue, especially since there are no cockpit video monitors. Experts equated it to fuel switch incident in 2019, raised public questions about design in flight deck safety and pilot training.
As the final investigation report is still pending, this again could have a major impact on international aviation systems and cockpit video technology.
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