Did Air India Pilot Commit Suicide and Took 241 Passengers with Him? Experts Claim Fuel Supply Cannot be Cut Off Accidentally

International Business Times

12-07-2025

New forensic evidence from the tragic Air India crash, which resulted in the deaths of 241 passengers, suggest that the actions of the flight crew were "absolutely" responsible for the disaster, according to an aviation expert. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12.
The flight plunged into the Meghani Nagar residential area and killed another 19 people on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has since released its initial forensic report, which may help determine the exact cause of what is being considered one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India's history. And the report has raised several questions.
Cause of Accident raises Questions
The initial findings have raised several questions, the biggest being whether the pilot deliberately crashed the aircraft. Was it a suicidal crash? There are several reasons that raise these questions.
Among the new information is the final conversation between the pilots of the doomed flight, captured by the cockpit voice recorder, which suggests that the aircraft's fuel supply was "cut off" in the final moments before the crash.
The preliminary report indicates that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner likely lost power when the fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped, cutting off fuel to the engines.
This has raised serious concerns, as the fuel levers are designed to be extremely dependable and resistant to accidental activation. Captain Mohan Ranganthan, one of India's top aviation experts, has even proposed that the action might have been deliberate.
To operate these switches, each lever must first be pulled upward to unlock it before it can be flipped, and additional guard brackets are in place to prevent accidental contact or movement.
"It has to be done manually, it cannot be done automatically or due to a power failure," Captain Ranganathan told NDTV of the fuel levers. 'The fuel selectors they aren't the sliding type they are always in a slot.
"They are to pull them out or move them up or down, so the question of them moving inadvertently out of the off position doesn't happen. It's a case of deliberate manual selection.'"
Chilling Theories Emerge
Ranganathan later said that there was no other plausible explanation for both fuel cutoff switches being turned off shortly after takeoff, claiming, "It had to be done deliberately." When asked if he believed one of the pilots intentionally shut off the fuel levers, fully aware that it could lead to a crash, he responded, "Absolutely," suggesting the incident may have been a "pilot-induced crash."
This revelation comes just after the release of the pilots' final recorded conversation by Indian authorities, in which one pilot is heard asking, "Why did you cut off the fuel supply?" while the other replies, "I didn't."
The report did not specify whether it was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal or co-pilot Clive Kunder who made the remarks, nor did it identify who issued the distress call that said: "Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!"
The preliminary findings have left many grieving families feeling confused and upset, with growing calls for transparency about how the crash occurred.
Bhaval Shah, a friend of 23-year-old victim Kinal Mistry, told The Times: "If these switches can't be turned off easily and if no software glitch could have been responsible, then it is deliberate, isn't it? Then it's sabotage or suicide."
Deepti Sawhney, who lost three family members in the tragedy, told NDTV that she wants all investigation findings to be released to the public.
"We must have a free, fair and transparent investigation,' she said. 'There are a lot of heavyweights involved — Air India, Boeing — who will want to save their skin. The families must get the truth."
The aircraft reached an altitude of just 625 feet before it started losing thrust and sank, crashing into a hostel in Gujarat and erupting into a fireball, killing everyone on board except for one survivor.
Preliminary findings from investigators show no evident issues with the Boeing aircraft or its engines, suggesting that neither Boeing nor engine manufacturer GE appears to bear responsibility for the crash.
According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report, released Friday, the jet was carrying 54,200 kilograms of fuel—well within the approved safety limits. Fuel samples taken from the aircraft's refueling tanks were also found to be of acceptable quality.
Investigators at the crash site found that the fuel cutoff switches were in the "run" position, suggesting that both engines restarted shortly before the impact.
The experienced pilots had a combined total of 19,000 hours of flying experience.
Both black boxes from the ill-fated flight — containing the cockpit voice recordings and flight data — were recovered from the debris a few days after the accident.
Investigators will now analyze the data to uncover any additional factors that may have led to the crash.