AI-171 Crash Finding: Pilots Identified Fuel Cut Off, Both Engines Shut Down Within Moments Of Takeoff

New Delhi: The preliminary report of the investigation into the Air India 171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 has been released, and its key findings have confirmed that both engines of the plane had shut down within moments after the plane took off. The preliminary investigation report, which Republic has accessed, cites a possible fuel cutoff, leading to no flow of fuel to the engines.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report on the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — which claimed at least 270 lives, including 241 of the 242 people on board — revealed that the fuel cutoff switches, responsible for controlling fuel flow to the engines, shifted from the 'RUN' to the 'CUTOFF' position almost simultaneously, within a second of each other.

Finding: Pilots Identified Fuel Cutoff, Seconds Before Crash

Significantly, the cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other responds, “I didn’t.”

This exchange points directly to the mysterious transition of the engine switches to ‘CUTOFF’, which effectively starved the engines of fuel — a development likely to become a central focus of the ongoing investigation.

Probe Report: Ram Air Turbine Deployed

A report released shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday highlights that the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was deployed during the crash, signalling a complete loss of power and thrust in the aircraft.

“CCTV footage from the airport captured the Ram Air Turbine deploying during the aircraft’s initial climb, right after take-off,” the report states. “No significant bird activity was observed near the flight path. The aircraft began losing altitude before it could clear the airport's perimeter wall.”

Data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), commonly referred to as the black box, showed that both engine switches were returned to the ‘RUN’ position. While Engine 1 began to recover, Engine 2 failed to restart.

No Action Recommended For Boeing Or GE

At this stage of the investigation, the preliminary report makes it clear that no specific recommendations are being issued to Boeing 787-8 operators or to the manufacturers and operators of the GE GEnx-1B engines. This indicates that, based on the current findings, there is no immediate safety concern or technical directive that necessitates action from stakeholders involved with the aircraft or its engines. The investigation remains ongoing, and further analysis may lead to future recommendations if warranted by new evidence or insights.