A preliminary report shows the deadly crash in June of Air India Flight 171 might have been caused by the error of one of its pilots who, for some reason, appears to have switched off the fuel for both engines moments before the crash.
Results released on Friday from the probe into the crash that left more than 240 people dead, with one survivor who walked away, found that the engine fuel cutoff switch was flipped seconds after the plane took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, before the airliner crashed into a nearby neighborhood moments later.
A preliminary report into the Air India crash last month, which left at least 270 people dead. https://t.co/l114CcYYRT
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) July 11, 2025
An early assessment of information from the aircraft’s voice and data recorder reportedly ruled out some kind of design flaw or mechanical failure, the NYT reported in the story linked above.
The report said “there are no recommended actions” to the aircraft and engine manufacturers, Boeing and General Electric.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off” the fuel, said the report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
The report went on:
The supply of fuel to the engine is controlled by two switches in the flight deck. Starting about 10 seconds after the fuel was cut off on Flight 171, the data recorder shows the switches were moved to turn the fuel back on. But the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent.
Each switch is equipped with a locking mechanism that is supposed to prevent accidental movement, experts said. To turn the fuel supply on, the switch must be pulled outward and then moved to a “RUN” position, where it is released and settles back into a locked position. To turn the fuel supply off, the switch must be pulled outward again, moved to the “CUTOFF” position, and then released again.
According to the report, the fuel control switches were turned off “one after another” about a second apart, and “the aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall.”
“The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their takeoff values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off,” the report added.
The Times noted that it could be months, possibly years, before a definitive conclusion is reached.
As RedState reported, the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off on June 12 and seconds later crashed into a medical college before exploding into a giant fireball. The crash killed 241 people on board and another dozen on the ground.
READ MORE: ‘It All Happened So Quickly’: Sole Survivor Recalls Horrifying Details of Deadly Plane Crash
MORE: Air India 787 Crashes After Takeoff, Horrific Videos Released
Miraculously, one man walked away from the crash and later recalled the horrific ordeal, saying, “It all happened so quickly.”
Senior police officer Vidhi Chaudhary told Reuters that the survivor is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Ramesh is listed as the passenger seated in 11A on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed on Thursday in a neighborhood minutes after the plane took off from Ahmedabad, killing more than 240 people on board.
BREAKING: A man who reportedly survived the plane crash in Ahmedabad has been named by Indian media as British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Family members have confirmed to Sky he was on board the flight and have spoken to him since.
Latest: https://t.co/MPnV3FHVub pic.twitter.com/KSWBAsQSyb
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 12, 2025
It continued:
When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” Ramesh told local media from his hospital bed. “I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me.”
“Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital,” he added. “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
Later, a video surfaced showing Ramesh walking through the neighborhood and away from the crash, with blood visible on his head and clothing.
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