‘Why Did You Cut Fuel?” – Air India Pilot’s Last Conversation

The first official report following the tragic Air India Flight AI 171 crash that claimed the lives of 270 people on June 12, 2025, was released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The preliminary report has revealed a serious engine malfunction that caused the fatal crash, just 3 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport.

The report further revealed that both the engines of the ill-fated Boeing 787 flight lost fuel supply soon after its takeoff. The fuel cutoff switches for both engines changed from “run” to “cutoff,” resulting in a dangerous altitude drop and rapid loss in engine speed. In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking his copilot why he cut off fuel, and the copilot replied, saying, “I didn’t cut off.”

The plane, which was close to its maximum takeoff weight, began to lose altitude immediately, unable to clear the airport perimeter wall before the fateful crash occurred. Even though both the pilots quickly issued the standard distress call—”MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”— it was too late.

The fuel supply to both engines was briefly restored just moments before the aircraft crashed outside the airport boundary, just 29 seconds after takeoff. The plane first hit several trees and a chimney before crashing into the BJ Medical College hostel, located just about 1.6 kms from the airport.

Investigators found that the aircraft’s throttle control module had been replaced twice in recent years, though there had been no issues reported with the fuel control switches. The AAIB has yet to find out why the fuel cutoff switches changed to “cutoff.” It’s worth mentioning that the report also revealed that Air India did not perform the recommended fuel control switch locking mechanism inspections, as it was not mandatory.