Air India 171 crash: US report alleges pilot cut fuel to both engines mid-air — was it human error or system failure? Details here

Time of India

17-07-2025

A recent US media report has revealed new details in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month, citing a cockpit recording that indicates the plane's captain may have manually cut fuel to the engines shortly after takeoff. The report, published by the Wall Street Journal, outlines the final exchange between the pilots just seconds before the crash.
Recording points to possible fuel switch action
According to the Wall Street Journal, the first officer operating the Boeing 787 Dreamliner questioned the captain about moving the switches to the "cutoff" position shortly after the plane took off. The captain reportedly remained calm, while the first officer reacted in panic. The cockpit conversation is part of the preliminary findings by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB), which noted that both engine fuel cutoff switches were triggered within a one-second gap, shortly after takeoff. The entire time from liftoff to crash was 32 seconds.
BREAKING It's becoming increasingly clear that the captain of the Air India flight which crashed last month intentionally shut off the fuel switches on the plane, leading to the crash.A black box recording reveals that after the fuel switches went off, the co-pilot asked the… pic.twitter.com/jfAjYhJFkR
Sources cited in the Wall Street Journal report, including US pilots and aviation experts familiar with the investigation, suggest it was the captain who moved the switches. However, the preliminary report does not state if the action was intentional or accidental.
Civil aviation minister urges caution
Responding to the media report, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu urged people not to jump to conclusions based on the early findings.
'I don't think we should jump to any conclusions over this,' Mr. Naidu said. 'This is only a preliminary report. There are technicalities involved, and it would be premature to make assumptions. We value our pilots and crew—they are the backbone of Indian aviation.'
Pilots' body criticises the US report
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), led by President CS Randhawa, has strongly criticised the Wall Street Journal article. Randhawa stated that the AIIB report does not directly blame the pilots for manually shutting down the fuel switches and warned against speculative reporting.
'We condemn the article,' Randhawa said. 'Nowhere in the report is it mentioned that the pilot made the mistake. This kind of reporting is irresponsible. We will take action against the publication.'
He added that drawing conclusions without waiting for the final detailed report is unjustified and misleading.
Air India confirms fleet-wide checks
Air India has completed precautionary checks across its fleet of Boeing 787-8 aircraft on the locking mechanisms of the Fuel Control Switches (FCS). These checks were carried out following directives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline confirmed that no issues were found.
'All Boeing 787 aircraft underwent inspections, and everything was in order,' Air India's engineering team informed. The airline also confirmed that all its 787-8s had previously received new Throttle Control Modules (TCMs), which include the FCS components, in line with Boeing's maintenance guidelines.
As investigations continue, officials urge caution while Air India completes checks and pilot groups demand accountability in media coverage.