Air India Plane Crash Report: Air India flight AI171 left for London from Ahmedabad on the morning of 12 June 2024. The flight was being operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. Shortly after the take-off, the aircraft collided with a medical college hostel, killing 260 passengers on the spot. This accident is not only one of the largest aircraft tragedies in India, but it is also considered to be the first fatal accident of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner all over the world.

Now the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released a preliminary report of its 15 pages on this incident, which has revealed many important information related to the accident, but some secrets are still intact.

Both engines closed immediately after take-off!
According to the AAIB report, the fuel control switches of the two engines suddenly went from “Run” to “Cutoff”, 7 seconds after the aircraft take-off, which stopped fueling both engines. This entire process took place within a second. Due to this, the thrust of the engine went completely and the aircraft could not catch the height. It has been reported in the report that the pilots immediately tried to turn the engine again, understanding the situation.

Both switches were brought back to “run” and one of them also turned on, but by then it was too late. The aircraft crashed only 32 seconds after the take-off. In the cockpit voice recorder, a pilot was recorded asking the other, “Why did you cut fuel?”, I got the answer, “I did not.” But it was not clear which voice was from which pilot.

The aircraft was in a state of flying and pilots were also experienced
The report states that the aircraft was completely aircraft (flight). All necessary technical inspections were done before the take-off. Captain Sumit Sabharwal had a 15,000 -hour flight experience, with 8,600 hours at Boeing 787. He was accompanied by the first officer Clive Kunder in the flight, who also had 3,400 hours of experience. Both passed the pre-flight breath analyzer test and their presence in CCTV was also clearly visible.

The report also stated that FAA had issued a warning in the year 2018, in which the fuel control switch in Boeing aircraft had said that the locking mechanism was a possible failure. But this was not mandatory, only advice, so no action was taken on it.

Was it an electronic disturbance?
A big question is how the two fuel switches suddenly stopped together? Was it a pilot’s fault or any technical disturbance? Some aviation experts have feared that this may be due to malfunction in the MN4 microprocessor of the engine’s electronic control unit (ECU). A joint service bulletin released in 2021 by FAA and GE also identified the solder-ball fatigue of this microprocessor as a possible threat.

Due to this fatigue, the switches can be tripped on the cutoff automatically, which can suddenly stop, as in this accident.

Which questions are answered?
According to the report, the landing gear was not up during the take-off. It is possible that the pilot was busy dealing with the engine failure at that time and forgot to give a “gear up” call. In addition, there is no video recording of the cockpit, making it difficult to know who really changed the switch. Many experts have expressed concern over this and have demanded video recording in the future cockpit.

The report also stated that the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) did not send any distress signal, while it had an impact of 3.2 to 3.5g at the time of the accident – which is usually sufficient to trigger the signal.

Investigation team and final report
Some pilot organizations questioned the expertise of the Aaib’s investigation team. In response, Aaib clarified that the team includes pilots, engineers, aviation medicine experts and flight recording experts, who are investigating the matter deeply.

Aaib has said that the final detailed report will be released by 12 June 2026. Till then, no clear conclusions have been drawn and no new security advice has been issued for 787-8 or GE GENX-1B engine operators.

Air inidia flight: On 20 June 2025, flight AI2470 from Air India to Delhi to Delhi was canceled. This decision was taken when the aircraft came to Pune from Delhi and came to light that it had a bird hit. Although the aircraft made a safe landing, it was ground due to security check.

Official statement of Air India
Air India issued a statement on the incident saying, “Flight AI2470, which was scheduled from Pune to Delhi on June 20, has been canceled due to bird hit. This bird hit the aircraft after being safely landed. Now the aircraft is being investigated intensely.” The airline regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers and said that it was an unexpected incident.

Options and facilities for passengers
AI has given the option of full refund or free travel to all affected passengers. Also, alternative flights are also being arranged for passengers who have to go to Delhi immediately. Air India reiterated, “Security of our passengers and crew is our top priority. We are taking all possible steps for the convenience of passengers.”

No injury, all passengers safe
Thankfully, despite the bird hit, no passenger or crew member in the aircraft had suffered any injury and all the people landed safely in Pune. Explain that the incidence of bird hits occurs frequently, but it can be mechanically risky. For this reason, the aircraft is fully tested before the next flight.

Vigilance increased after Dreamliner accident
The incident took place when Air India is still recovering from the Ahmedabad -London Gatvik Dreamliner accident, in which 271 people lost their lives, in which 30 people were present on the ground. After this painful accident, DGCA ordered a comprehensive security check of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft of Air India.