Public opinion on the Air India Flight 171 crash investigation reveals frustration and skepticism towards the authorities, a divide on the cause of the accident, and a strong emotional response to the tragic loss of lives. Many commenters doubt the preliminary findings that implicate pilot error, suggesting mechanical failures or mental health issues as contributing factors. Calls for improved safety protocols and accountability from Air India and Boeing are prevalent.

Air India

Boeing

Investigation Authorities

Quick Claude summary for those interested:

The aircraft took off normally from Runway 23 at 08:07:33 UTC. 

Shortly after liftoff, at 08:08:42 UTC, both engine fuel cutoff switches unexpectedly transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position, causing both engines to lose power. 

The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) automatically deployed for emergency power.

Critical evidence from cockpit voice recorder: One pilot asked the other “why did he cutoff,” and the other pilot responded “he did not do so” - indicating neither pilot intentionally cut off the fuel.

The crew attempted to restart the engines by moving the fuel switches back to RUN position. Engine 1 showed signs of successful relight, but Engine 2 could not fully recover. 

The aircraft lost altitude and crashed into BJ Medical College hostel buildings 0.9 nautical miles from the airport, destroying 5 buildings.

Technical Findings
	
•	Fuel switches physically found in RUN position in wreckage, but flight data clearly shows they moved to CUTOFF during flight
	
•	Thrust levers found in idle position but flight data shows they remained at takeoff thrust until impact
	
•	Aircraft had valid airworthiness certificates with some minor MEL items active
	
•	Crew were experienced and qualified

Brightlyshadowed

Switching just one of the fuel cutoff switches takes time and a deliberate action - you need to physically lift the switch up from the RUN position before then moving it down to the CUTOFF position. These are not switches that one can casually toggle from one position to another.

fugutoxin

Wasn’t there a DVR on this particular aircraft that would have also recorded video of the cockpit at the time the switches were flipped? And, wasn’t it recovered per earlier reports? Any reason for the investigators to not comment on this?

JL-IN-CO

Text of the crucial part of the report, from the [Aviation Herald](https://avherald.com/h?article=528f27ec&amp;opt=0):

&gt; As per the EAFR data, the aircraft crossed the take-off decision speed V1 and achieved 153 kts IAS at 08:08:33 UTC. The Vr speed (155 kts) was achieved as per the EAFR at 08:08:35 UTC. The aircraft air/ground sensors transitioned to air mode, consistent with liftoff at 08:08:39 UTC.
&gt;
&gt; The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.
&gt; 
&gt; In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.
&gt; 
&gt; As per the EAFR data both engines N2 values passed below minimum idle speed, and the RAT hydraulic pump began supplying hydraulic power at about 08:08:47 UTC.
&gt; 
&gt; As per the EAFR, the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN at about 08:08:52 UTC. The APU Inlet Door began opening at about 08:08:54 UTC, consistent with the APU Auto Start logic. Thereafter at 08:08:56 UTC the Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN. When fuel control switches are moved from CUTOFF to RUN while the aircraft is inflight, each engines full authority dual engine control (FADEC) automatically manages a relight and thrust recovery sequence of ignition and fuel introduction.
&gt; 
&gt; The EGT was observed to be rising for both engines indicating relight. Engine 1’s core deceleration stopped, reversed and started to progress to recovery. Engine 2 was able to relight but could not arrest core speed deceleration and re-introduced fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery. The EAFR recording stopped at 08:09:11 UTC
&gt; 
&gt; At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”.
&gt; 
&gt; The ATCO enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response.
&gt; 
&gt; At 08:14:44 UTC, Crash Fire Tender left the airport premises for Rescue and firefighting. They were joined by Fire and Rescue services of Local Administration.

gnorrn

Probably a absolutely dumb ass question; Any chance there was a relief pilot in the cockpit? If one is asking why the fuel cutoff was switched and the other saying they didn’t do it, makes me wonder if someone else was in the cockpit.

DICHOTOMY-REDDIT

Is the link not working for anyone else or just me?

CH86CN

There are a couple of reasons that have been highlighted by which the fuel cutoffs could have activated or been activated. There’s no reason to jump to a “suicide” conclusion.

There was an AD in 2022 that alerted to the possibility of FOD in panels of 120+ 787’s: “The debris could cause “uncommanded activation of the engine fuel shut-off function”, or prevent pilots from pulling the engine fire handle, the proposed AD says”

U tube comment from someone identifying himself as a B777 captain: “there was an almost accident several years ago when the crew of a 777 incorrectly set the MCP (mode control panel) for takeoff and the autopilot leveled the plane at 167 feet. When a 787 goes from takeoff power to leveling off it looks a lot like dual engine failure. The immediate action / memory items for dual engine failure are 1 - fuel switches cutoff then run 2 - push and hold RAT switch for 1 second.”

Horror-Raisin-877

A lot of good comments in here. I fly older boeings that have increased resistance on the start levers near the idle detent. I wonder if it's possible this 87 had the same resistance, and the Pilots actually never got the start levers into the idle detent.  As a result the levers crept down during Takeoff and rotation until working down enough to cutoff both engines. 

If the same guy started both motors it seems plausible he would make the same mistake twice. The other pilot may have never verified start levers in idle detent.

Heathels

&gt; Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec

Is it possible for a pilot to manually turn both engines off in 1 sec?

&gt; As per the EAFR, the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN at about 08:08:52 UTC. The APU Inlet Door began opening at about 08:08:54 UTC, consistent with the APU Auto Start logic. Thereafter at 08:08:56 UTC the Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN.

It took them 4 seconds to turn both on.

MandroidHomie

I don’t know anything about airlines, but anyone with more knowledge- can you fill me in how difficult or easy it is for a pilot to “accidentally” cut the fuel switches ?

doomer_bloomer24

So is there no other possibility other than intentional shut off at this point? It probably wasn't a software glitch or pressing the wrong button by mistaking it for another since you physically have to pull the fuel switches and can't just quickly flick it. But is there still the possibility that the pilot flying just had an absolute brain fart, or his brain was on autopilot, and he absent mindedly switched off both fuel switches? Or am I grasping for straws?

QuarterTarget

I called this weeks ago. [https://www.reddit.com/r/aircrashinvestigation/comments/1lb6dzf/comment/mxqxx7t/?utm\_source=share&amp;utm\_medium=web3x&amp;utm\_name=web3xcss&amp;utm\_term=1&amp;utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/aircrashinvestigation/comments/1lb6dzf/comment/mxqxx7t/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web3x&amp;utm_name=web3xcss&amp;utm_term=1&amp;utm_content=share_button)

deepstaterising


i am not jumping to conclusions here but the way it has been portrayed in the report is like they are setting it up to blame on the pilots. I am not being paranoid, but that inclusion about the pilots exchange, definitely makes me think so. That they are hiding something for sure

patrick_thementalist

Can someone explain how the thrust levers were at idle in the wreckage and yet the data recorder says they were actually set at take off thrust the entire time?

lordsteve1

Is it possible for a software bug to exist in both engine interface units (EIUs), and a single event (like a corrupted data packet, power surge, or system update glitch) affects both of them almost simultaneously, each engine could receive a false cutoff command within a second. Or one engine might fail first, and the second shuts down a moment later due to auto-reconfiguration logic misfiring, or a mirrored software fault? 

I am just a bit skeptical, the MAX incidents showed us that software can override pilot input, when proper redundancies and transparency are not in place. 

Why isn’t Boeing and FAA issuing immediate emergency directives to inspect software, revert updates, or require temporary hardware workarounds just in case this is a possibility. Especially after all the scrutiny they have been under

depalm3

" one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff."  Did the one pilot SEE the other hit the switches? We may never know.

llcdrewtaylor

The report says it is likely a pilot error. To sum it up, one of the pilot has accidentally cutoff the fuel and switch malfunction is highly unlikely.

supermastercontrol

Wait, so according to this official report there were 260 fatalities. What happened to the +290 deaths we were told at the beginning? The numbers were always increasing and then all of the sudden they decrease to 260? Pretty strange

MeWhenAAA

Will Boeing's detractors apologize this time?

rmlenz

Ladies and gentlemen, just a quick though:


I understand there is a mechanical lockout on the switch, that they need to be actuated against a spring to be moved, but I've come across a scenario with similar lockouts on diesel engines where you can actuate the lockout and then move the switch to a central position which then allows the switch to be actuated either way (due to vibration, acceleration, being knocked etc.) because the mechanical lockout is not engaged (the spring stays in tension.)


It's analogues to driving an automatic car where you can pull the the selector to a position half way between between, say, drive and neutral and it stays there until it's bumped.

Jealous-Hedgehog-734

The switches were found in the run position so hard to believe they just drifted to off due to a faulty detent, but stayed in position after slamming into the ground.

[deleted]

AndrewMacSydney

Are the investigators certain that there was no 3rd person in the cockpit?

For example, sometimes some vlogers are allowed in the cockpit to document the flight for their youtube channels, or some aviation enthusiast or famous personality is allowed in the cockpit by the captain.

owaisusmani

So, this was suicide (and homicide) by Pilot

edoreinn

I think we also need a toxicology report of both pilots, if it was not suicide I wouldn't rule out erratic behavior due to intoxication like in Alaska Airlines Flight 2059...

xLeopoldinho

Some questions I have :

The time gap between CUT OFF was 1s while getting it to RUN was 4s. Reaction time was 10s 

Could 1s be deliberate action ?
Could 1s be that the switches failed mechanically for whatever reason with either 1s gap or simultaneously but the data recording had a delay ?

Can 4s gap to work on both engine switches be considered actual human reaction input and the 1s doesn't match? But I guess it's more likely because of the stress, fear and deceleration 

If one of them did actually SEE the other switching it off and hence the question, would the reaction time be 10s ? I Guess we will only know it from the recording of the tone and context, better analysed by experts.

no-way-but-up

Imagine being on that flight deck and realising the fuel switches had been shutoff only metres off the ground while surrounded by buildings. Would have been fucken terrifying knowing you were about to die (100% everyone on that flight deck knew with those altitude / speeds it was unrecoverable but followed training anyway).

RIP to all the victims. My heart goes out to all the families affected by the horrid situation.

  
Edit 1: Some information and picture of the fuel [cut-off switches](https://theaircurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ai-171-fuel-switches-graphic-jo.jpeg) for those that are interested.

aussiechap1

I just hope they don't attribute it to the pilot error to hide malfunctions and vice versa, as we have seen pilots undertake suicide missions before.

I highly doubt this was the case here; it seems more like an error combined with a malfunction.

RealisticBread5778

Hi, there is another point I think:
Trust lever was found in near idle position but EAFR says the lever remained forward (takeoff thrust) until the impact.
How can the data be conflicting?

BostonKon

Does flight data infer the position of the fuel cut off switches or directly record? Reason for the question is curiosity about whether there was scope for some other fault to shut-off the fuel, but the flight data to label it as switch position.

Affectionate-Idea451

Wow. Not what I expected to read! Does anyone know if the fuel shutoffs are easy to get confused on this aircraft? I cannot imagine so?

IDunnoReallyIDont

It is crazy to think this was deliberate, just that we don't know how. As far as I understand, a pilot must pull the toggle and put it down to CUTOFF intentionally (I'm not saying necessarily a malicious intent. It could've been being accustomed to toggling switches, and muscle memory having something to do with it, or something like that). 

No systems involved (as far as I know) can put those toggles automatically down like the autothrottle moving the levers for any reason, right? So, someone had to put them down, and then the pilots tried to relight the engines, pulling the toggles to RUN to recover the plane without success.

laczpro19

Why do we not have video inside the cockpit on every flight?  That would help answer questions like this and be very easy to implement (from a technical standpoint).  Even 7-Eleven has video...

netronin

it kinda makes me wonder if the relief pilot was in the cockpit or not...

Albort

Is there any indication of whether there is an audio clue of whether the switches were manually triggered? Is there any action that the pilots would be taking during this time that could in theory lead to an accidental triggering of the cutoffs?

I think it's possibly telling that the pilot asked why, not whether he did it. It's possible he just assumed but I can also imagine he saw him do something.

I also wonder whether its possible there is an automation issue here ala the MAX. Some unlisted function which automatically cuts off power in a specific situation and they didnt tell the pilots.

For any pilots is this something you would be trained on as a memory item, if you see EGT decreasing, to look at the levers and turn them on if they got triggered or would there be a more involved engine restart procedure that you would have to go through?

It seems like it took a while for them to take action.

realKevinNash

The only reason i believe its not intention is it takes effort to cut off the engine as its made so that the pilot doesn't unintentionally turn it off. So turning both in 1 second interval is really difficult.

sky_tempest_

I wonder what else needs to be uncovered before people stop defending billionaires instead of the people who are not here to defend themselves

Pedrikos

The BBC reported it was 01 seconds between the first and second fuel cut off… I’m not sure what 01 seconds is.. I assume 0.1? There’s a big big difference between the two. One could very much be pilot induced and the other sounds like a failure. 

Glad the flaps thing was cleared up though, the amount of freakin morons on here claiming it’s flaps was ridiculous. 

The fact the co-pilot denied it, and if it was 0.1 seconds between the switches going into cutoff makes me believe this wasn’t the pilots faults… it’s just so weird a pilot would do that… even with my 4000 hours in my home sim, I have never accidentally switched off the fuel pumps…

Tainted-Archer

I suspect a pilot who cut off the fuel had a mental issue, perhaps induced by stroke.

droptore

The fact that there has been no fleet-wide action for the 787 kinda point to them being pretty focused on a pilot error.

Mike__O

[Air India crash preliminary report: How detailed were earlier initial probe reports by AAIB?](https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/ahmedabad-air-india-crash-preliminary-report-reports-aaib-10118640/)

This is a pretty detailed article on what past AAIB preliminary reports have been like + the kind of information that can be expected from a preliminary report. 

Interestingly, the article also mentions:

&gt;A**ccording to guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), investigators should release a preliminary report within 30 days of an air accident. However, Indian aviation experts pointed out that the country’s aircraft accident investigation rules have no such mandate and India is not bound to stick to the 30-day timeline for the preliminary report.** However, given the global spotlight on this crash—the worst involving an Indian airline in at least four decades and the first fatal accident of the Boeing 787 aircraft globally—there is high likelihood of a preliminary report being released within the 30-day period.

Hopefully they adhere to the ICAO guidelines.

MadeInHell27

AAIB has already submitted the report to the civil aviation ministry as of 8th July. But as an Indian our ministries are inept and there's no timeline as to when they'll make it public. Hopefully they do so soon to avoid being made a mockery of.

GeneralOrdinance

Judging by the WSJ article that came out a few hours ago, I think it's almost certain that this is either pilot error or pilot suicide.

At this point with no 787s being grounded and the fact that India are slow rolling this, I kind of think they are trying to avoid international embarrassment by finding some angle where they don't come out of this looking bad.

ILikeXiaolongbao

In de suicide theory, do we know anything about the pilots past that can hint to it?


It is really rare that people just decide to go without warning

Prof_X_69420

Its 1730 in India now. Shall I assume the report is not going to be issued today?

ChuckyJa

If it turns out to be a pilot suicide, it's going to send shockwaves through the global aviation community

Will probably be the highest death count from an intentional. Will dwarf the Germanwings crash.

Still holding hope that wasn't the case. And neither does it take away from the horrible negligence at Boeing.

Also high time the global bodies take Mental health seriously. There are thousands of pilots around the world with mental health issues who cannot access healthcare because of these restrictions. And then incidents like Germanwings happen as a result.

No_Temporary2732

I don't trust AAIB's report one bit. I really wish NTSB could validate the investigation. Indian investigative agencies are infamous for butchering any incident/accident if they are under pressure from the government. 

Source: I am an Indian and have seen the manipulation with my own eyes.

SiloPsilo

But if this does turn out to be pilot suicide, just how fucked up do you have to be as a human being to take hundreds of innocent lives with you? Most suicidal people don't take others with them. You write a note for people who care about you and do it alone. 

From a psychiatric perspective it is very interesting. You'd think mass-murder like that comes from something inside.

There's been a few cases of pilot suicide now, Germanwings and possibly MH370 and a few others. As a SLF (self-loading freight) what scares me the most about flying is that the pilot or copilot might be a nutter who decides to just end my journey.

Would be nice if some here who are pilots have any words about mental health and flying. I don't know what that profession is like but I imagine that if you ask for help for any mental health condition then you risk losing your licence and job. So maybe that creates a culture where you hide any issues you might be having, and as humans if you are masking or hiding a mental health issue then it isn't just going to go away, it will probably just get worse.

cypherpunk00001

Air India has all but pointed to sabotage.

No-Truth-759

We'll know when the reports been published because the avherald will crash

Busy_Comedian_8165

BBC has summarized the preliminary report which has [just been released](https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cx20p2x9093t).

\* Both fuel control switches - which are used to turn the engines off - were moved to the cut-off position, the report says

\* It says that in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he "did the cut-off". The other pilot, it says, responded that he did not do so

\* It is not specified which voice is which. At the time the aircraft took off, the co-pilot was flying the plane, while the captain was monitoring

conodeuce

[https://aaib.gov.in/What's%20New%20Assets/Preliminary%20Report%20VT-ANB.pdf](https://aaib.gov.in/What's%20New%20Assets/Preliminary%20Report%20VT-ANB.pdf)

Here's the link ot the official report

imanshul01

The activation of the fuel cut off switches requires very deliberate action, what bothers me is that they aren’t something that can simply be knocked or erroneously selected.

Major_Crazy_1653

To the public or internally? I want to read the report. Not some News overview of it.

MD-80-87

Trick_Leadership4233

I know that the sole survivor said that he heard a loud bang before it started losing height, but has that ever been given any credence? 

Obviously surviving something that traumatic is going to make you an unreliable witness, but I’ve been wondering if his claim is indicative of anything that could have happened.

AnastasiaRomanot

Wow, I'm feeling a lot of sadness reading that one possibility of why the fuel switches were turned off is because of pilot suicide. That would really be just awful, and I don't want to say anything but no good words would come out if that ends up being true.

I did read on WSJ that "Pilots use the switches to start the jet’s engines, shut them down, or reset them in certain emergencies." I'm no expert, but if this is true...could it also be that in the moment, say the engines failed for some other reason, the pilots maybe tried to switch the engines off and on in the few seconds they knew they were going down to try to reset them, as the WSJ said they can be used for that....? Perhaps in the panic of the moment they tried to do this and in the end with no time it ended on the off position...?

I really hope it wasn't on purpose that would just be completely awful.

Delicious_Novel_4400

prospectpico_OG

The day is almost over in the report is not released 😞

steelrain793

tendie_time

Too funny - close of business in India - still more delays.

The-Captain-Speaking

AbySs_Dante

Calling it now, the report will be bare minimum, just echoing the things we already know. There won't be any conclusions or even points on what caused it. And it will not come today our babus will delay it further

bootymaster669

I just thought of something. you know there is a door in the bottom of the cockpit to the wheelwell? You know how that one guy survived? What if he was waiting down there, turned the two fuels off then slipped back out that, and jumped to safety?

Chris_Hisss

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AutoModerator

Aviation sub clearly trending towards intentional switch off since the switches have to be manually flipped and cannot be accidentally switched. So one of the pilots did something unimaginable.

sku-mar-gop

Answer is no one knows, not even the experts. We have to wait for the final investigation report to be published. 

It could be done intentionally by one of the pilots.

Thaiyervadai

Here is from report for those who get news from tv

The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec.
The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off.
In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff.
The other pilot responded that he did not do so.

amitkoj

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yLPR3g3EhU38OyWT_1VRstC8AgBBkULO/view?usp=sharing

Google drive link in case aaib website not loading

balajih67

https://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/NM-18-33.pdf/SIB_NM-18-33_1


There was an airworthiness directive regarding to inadvertent disengagement of fuel switches couples of years back. Either this is a freak scenario of this malfunction happening or pilot sabotage. The investigation will go through all scenarios.

Tyler_holmes123

The odds of two mechanically loaded toggle switches resetting to cut off is astronomical. It’s a murder suicide by one of the pilots unless someone in preflight tests made a deliberate sabotage to those switches to toggle itself off during take off which is unlikely. 

Our medical examinations to the pilots must be a joke if one could fake their mental health and pass.  Hindsight everything makes sense, but could’ve been prevented if we took mental health seriously in our country

s4m_sepi0l

The switches are spring loaded. It’s possible they were manually toggled( even though the pilot verbally asserts he did not) or a mechanical failure happened and both, in a rarest of the rare event, malfunctioned cutting off fuel at an altitude and speed where recovery is not possible.

This is preliminary report and now the investigation will begin how and why it happened. The average air crash investigation takes a year and it’s pointless speculating at this stage…

https://preview.redd.it/womvqyu0cbcf1.jpeg?width=1206&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=9bad7675e6439acb0006670a1a888b47fafedf10

basuroy89

What are the odds that two mechanical switches malfunction and turn off one second apart, immediately after lift off at the worst possible moment?

Advanced_Poet_7816

thescurvydawg_red

So this is manual sabotage from one of the pilots? Cause both the fuel cutoff switches one after another can't be automatic.

https://www.youtube.com/live/cQakAafxGck?feature=shared&amp;t=321

Also in the end of report there's no advisory.

Edit: This is the events in layman terms. The fuel switch moved to cutoff for both 1 second difference. Then they brought it back and 1 engine recovered by the height was too low. This is a deliberate action because if switch was not working it wont come back up. Also, there is no accidental movement that can cause to turn both switches off. One pilot asked to other why did they turn it off? They said they didn't. The pilot flying won't be able to do it cause you have to go a bit out of way to turn it off and their focus would be on flying. And if the copilot does it (not flying one), the flying pilot wont know until it is moved to cutoff post which the errors and warnings will light up on the dashboard. Also, if there was a possible issue with Boeing there would have been an advisory issued to check other planes by Boeing. Given that they have been flying for well over a decade and this hasn't occurred, doubt this is Boeing issue.

DesiInsuranceAdvisor

This is so heartbreaking to read. So many innocent lives were lost just because one person wasn't in his right mind. I can only hope, this opens up talk about the pilot's mental health in the aviation industry.

delusionalfaeries

When the crash happened ,I did try to find about the pilots .

It was really sad for the older pilot.
He has to take of his older mother and father.
And never married ,no kids.
His only purpose was to fly.
And that was his last to last second.

coolsid_5

Awful news that one pilot could have killed everyone because he was suicidal.

aspiring_dev1

This is horrific.

1. Mental health of pilots should be taken seriously and committee should be formed for each airlines where the vulnerable can seak help.

2. However improbable, the potential murder angle should be checked. 

3. There is 1 in million chance that the mechanical failure causes switches to be off. The warning mentioned in report is potential, although that angle should be checked.

No one ( including me ) wants to believe,  there were kids in that flight,  shit man. But looks like a suicide/mass murder.

Impossible-Knee9090

Fuel was manually cut off. Not clear which pilot. Tried to relight the engine. It was recovering but not enough time sadly. Intentional or mistkae. Either way sounds like nothing was wrong with the plane

Occam's razor: murder-suicide by one of the pilots, likely the chief pilot (the flight officer was busy flying the aircraft). The switches cannot be accidentally toggled.

mormegil1

DonaldFarfrae

Where is lead NTSB lead investigator Greg Feith?

Inj3kt0r

￼​

https://preview.redd.it/jvbyddlxpccf1.jpeg?width=2532&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;s=0d983e3cec934883cab2718261510e417c03fee0

From Section 4, On Page 6:

Yellow highlights suggest: The locking feature of the fuel control switch is disengaged when installed. The throttle module was replaced in 2019 and 2023.

Green highlights suggest: After the throttle module was replaced in 2023, due to the absence of Airworthiness Directives (AD), the inspections were NOT carried out. And since the inspections were not carried out, NO DEFECTS WERE REPORTED.

And since no defects were reported, we do not know which defect crept up to impact the fuel control switch and/or the throttle module.

Would the absence of AD led to a disaster waiting to happen? We do not know.

And as other comments mentioned, this is quite early to speculate and confirm anything - manual sabotage or a defect.

lalbatti_behind

This brings into focus the mental health again which is a huge stigma in India. Indian industry is known to overwork its employees. When working on something like IT, it's okay cause you can deploy a fix but with critical things like Airline, it can be catastrophic as it can lead to situation like 171 when the mental health detoriates. All Indian airlines are same. Our work culture is shit.

Numerous stories on it: 

AI Pilot overworked: https://inshorts.com/en/news/air-india-pilots-flag-staff-shortage-say-they-are-overworked-report-1671102752877

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dgca-slaps-80-lakh-fine-on-air-india-for-overworking-pilots/article67981033.ece

Regulator is hands on with the airline: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/air-india-allowed-temporarily-extend-duty-rest-long-haul-crew-memo-shows-2025-05-02/

General Indian aviation: https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/airlines-must-avoid-getting-grounded-by-pilot-burnout-101746111227199.html

https://www.wired.com/story/pilots-are-dying-of-tiredness-tech-cant-save-them/

https://www.britsafe.in/safety-management-news/2024/india-s-airline-pilots-fatigue-reports-prompt-safety-worries

schowdur123

Gpt summary:

Based on a deep analysis of the Preliminary Report for the Air India B787-8 (VT-ANB) crash on 12 June 2025, here is a distilled, high-clarity summary of important root causes, explained in layman’s terms where appropriate:


---

🔧 1. Fuel Control Switches Were Unexpectedly Moved to OFF (CUTOFF)

What happened: Shortly after takeoff, both engines shut down almost simultaneously. The flight recorder showed that fuel cutoff switches for both engines were manually moved from “RUN” (on) to “CUTOFF” (off), one after the other, within a second.

Why it matters: These switches control the fuel supply to the engines. Turning them off mid-air is like cutting power to a car engine while driving—both engines lost thrust immediately.

Strange detail: One pilot is heard asking “why did you cut off?”, and the other responded, “I didn’t do it.”

Possible root causes:

Accidental switch-off due to human error or confusion.

Malfunction or design vulnerability in the switch mechanism.

Possible similarity to an earlier FAA advisory (not mandatory) about fuel control switch locking features possibly disengaging on Boeing aircraft, including the same switch type used on this aircraft.




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⚙️ 2. Previous FAA Safety Concern Was Ignored (SAIB NM-18-33)

What it was: FAA had issued an advisory in 2018 about fuel control switches possibly being installed without their locking mechanism properly engaged, which could allow accidental shutdown.

Air India’s approach: They did not inspect the switches on VT-ANB because the FAA classified the issue as advisory, not mandatory.

Root cause implication: Even though it wasn’t legally required, this could’ve been a preventable accident had the locking issue been proactively addressed.



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🛠 3. Throttle and Switch Hardware Was Replaced Twice Before

Details: Throttle control module was replaced in 2019 and 2023, but no record links those replacements to fuel switch issues.

Why it matters: Suggests that there could have been latent or recurring issues with engine control systems that weren’t thoroughly understood or resolved.



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📉 4. Auto Relight Sequence Didn’t Recover Both Engines

Sequence observed:

After both engines shut down, pilots tried restarting them mid-air.

Engine 1 began recovering successfully.

Engine 2 attempted relight, but failed to regain stable power.


Root implication: The engine relight system partially worked but wasn’t fast or effective enough to prevent a crash, especially given the low altitude and short time window.



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🧠 5. Crew Action or Confusion May Be a Contributing Factor

Human factors angle: CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) shows surprise and denial from pilots about who moved the fuel switches.

Possible scenarios:

Unintentional switch activation due to confusion, spatial disorientation, or distraction.

Incorrect or panicked response to another system fault or perceived anomaly.




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🔒 6. No Activation of Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)

Why it matters: The ELT did not automatically activate during the crash.

Implication: Possible system fault or mechanical failure, affecting emergency response and location tracking.



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🔧 7. No Major Technical Faults Before Takeoff (on record)

Aircraft was within weight limits.

Fuel quality was confirmed OK.

No dangerous goods or bird activity observed.

Four non-critical system issues were active (e.g., cockpit printer, door surveillance), but none should have affected flight safety.



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⚠️ Summary of Root Cause Zones:


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🧩 Conclusion (So Far):

The root cause chain appears to stem from unexpected engine shutdown triggered by the fuel control switches being moved to OFF, either accidentally, unknowingly, or due to a design flaw. The lack of required locking inspection (despite advisories), and failure to recover full power, compounded by low altitude during initial climb, resulted in complete loss of thrust—which was unrecoverable in the short window available.

The final report will likely explore:

Mechanical forensic analysis of the switches

Pilot psychological or behavioral factors

Cockpit design and switch layout risks

Crew training protocols for engine anomalies after takeoff



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user7-0

Occum's razor: murder-suicide by one of the pilots, likely the chief pilot (the flight officer was busy flying the aircraft). The switches cannot be accidentally toggled.

Just want to flag that this is the preliminary report and y'all are Redditors. No point chatgpting something to sound like an expert and speculating on anything thereby spreading misinformation.

As mentioned in the report, you're supposed to use the findings from this report only to improve safety and prevent future incidents.

Glass_Extension_6529

The preliminary investigation report into the Air India flight AI 171 crash, which occurred on June 12, reveals that both engines' fuel control switches transitioned from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' shortly after takeoff, leading to the aircraft's loss of thrust and subsequent crash, killing 260 people. The report highlights that such switch movements require deliberate action and suggests that they may have been toggled by the pilots. Investigators are focusing on the pilots' actions, as well as mechanical conditions, with no immediate evidence pointing to mechanical failure or fuel contamination. The investigation is ongoing.

Air India Flight 171 Crash Investigation

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