KEY POINTS:
- Air India Flight 171 crashed 30 seconds after takeoff on June 12, 2025, killing all 260 people aboard in India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades
- Investigation focuses on engine fuel control switches that may have been moved to “cutoff” position, shutting down both engines
- Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau submitted preliminary report to authorities on July 8, but full public release remains uncertain
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner experienced world’s first fatal accident of this aircraft type
- Enhanced safety inspections ordered for India’s entire Boeing 787 fleet following the crash
Air India Flight 171 crashed just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick. According to the Associated Press, security camera footage showed the aircraft taking off and crashing into a medical college, marking India’s worst aviation disaster in decades. CBS News reported that this was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 anywhere in the world.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) submitted its preliminary report to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation on July 8, as reported by ANI news agency via News Today. According to Reuters via CNBC, while the report has been delivered to authorities as required under international aviation regulations, sources cautioned that plans could change and there was no clarity on how much information would be made public.
The Fatal Flight
At 1:39 p.m. local time on June 12, the Boeing 787-8 registered as VT-ANB began its takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with 230 passengers and 12 crew members aboard. According to WION News, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson confirmed in a video statement that “this is a difficult day for all of us at Air India.”
CBS News reported that the passenger manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, with 13 children among the victims. According to multiple sources including the Associated Press, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 55, with 8,200 flight hours of experience, commanded the aircraft alongside First Officer Clive Kunder, 32.
According to Aviation Week Network, the aircraft had been delivered to Air India in January 2014 and had accumulated 39,450 flight hours across 7,400 cycles. The Air Current reported that the right engine had been overhauled in March 2025, while the left engine was inspected in April.
The Crash Sequence
As reported by CBS News, the aircraft climbed to only 625 feet before Captain Sabharwal transmitted a desperate mayday. According to CNN, the pilot’s final words were: “Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.” The aircraft began descending while attempting to maintain altitude, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press and Aviation Week Network reported that video evidence showed the aircraft’s ram air turbine deployed – an emergency device that only emerges when both engines lose power. According to The Air Current, this deployment indicated both engines had somehow failed simultaneously, an extremely rare occurrence in modern aviation.
The aircraft crashed into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College in the Meghani Nagar neighborhood, triggering explosions and fire, as reported by the Associated Press and CBS News.
The Sole Survivor
Of the 242 people aboard, only Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national seated in emergency exit row 11A, survived, according to CBS News and NBC News. CBS News reported that Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed: “The police found one survivor in seat 11A.”
According to NBC News, Ramesh told media: “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed.” CBS News reported that the fuselage section containing his seat detached upon impact, landing on the hostel’s ground floor, allowing him to escape through the emergency exit.
Investigation Focus: Fuel Control Switches
The Air Current reported on July 8 that investigators are focusing on the movement of engine fuel control switches, with multiple sources familiar with the investigation stating that data from the Boeing 787’s integrated flight and voice data recorders suggests these switches may have been moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” position during the final moments.
According to The Air Current, moving these switches would immediately shut down both engines, explaining the ram air turbine deployment and loss of thrust. As noted by their sources, what remains unclear is whether this movement was improper, inadvertent, or intentional.
Reuters reported via CNBC that “the available information on the black boxes could not rule in or out improper, inadvertent or intentional actions that preceded or followed the apparent loss of thrust before the aircraft crashed.”
Safety Response and Fleet Inspections
According to NPR, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered Air India to undertake extra safety checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 planes “as a preventative measure.” Business Standard reported that the DGCA ordered immediate enhanced inspections of Air India’s entire Boeing 787 fleet.
According to Aviation Week Network, 26 of Air India’s 33 Boeing 787s were cleared after intensive inspections by June 17. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson assured in his video statement that “our teams are working around the clock to support passengers, crew and their families,” as reported by CBS News.
Investigation Timeline and International Cooperation
According to The Air Current, under International Civil Aviation Organization rules, India must submit the preliminary report within 30 days of the accident. Simple Flying reported that the final investigation report is expected within approximately three months, likely around mid-September.
NPR reported that the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board stated it would “be leading a team of U.S. investigators traveling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.” According to Boeing’s official statement, CEO Kelly Ortberg said: “I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation.”
Reuters via CNBC reported that India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on June 29: “It has never happened that both engines shut down together.” According to the Associated Press, the minister also stated investigators were examining “all angles.”
Broader Impact
According to CBS News and Boeing’s April 2025 statistical summary, this marked the first fatal accident for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner since entering service in 2011. The Air Current noted that the crash “has attracted intense global interest.”
According to the Associated Press, DNA testing confirmed identities of all 260 fatalities by June 28. CBS News reported that ground casualties included at least five medical students from the medical college, with Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital confirming the sole survivor “was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body… he seems to be out of danger.”
The aviation community now awaits the full preliminary report’s public release, which will provide crucial insights into how a routine international flight ended in tragedy just 30 seconds after takeoff. The investigation’s findings will be critical for preventing similar disasters and maintaining confidence in one of aviation’s most advanced aircraft.
