A preliminary investigation has revealed that a faulty locking mechanism in the captain’s seat was the primary cause of the Air India Boeing 787 crash that killed 270 people near Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The report, released Wednesday, shows that the pilot’s seat unexpectedly slid backward just 12 seconds into takeoff, causing the captain to unintentionally pull the throttle levers to idle. This sudden loss of engine power led to the aircraft stalling at an altitude of only 214 feet, resulting in the plane crashing into a nearby residential building.
Investigators noted that the co-pilot’s attempts to recover the aircraft were hampered by the captain’s reclined position, which obstructed control inputs. Cockpit data confirmed the seat movement and the rapid onset of the stall. The probe also uncovered missing safety features in the Boeing 787’s throttle system, prompting urgent inspection directives from U.S. and European regulators for similar pilot seats worldwide.
In response, Air India has grounded 12 of its Boeing 787 aircraft pending thorough reviews, while Boeing has committed to redesigning the seat locking mechanism by 2026 to prevent recurrence of such a fatal failure. Of the 242 passengers and crew on board, only one British national survived the crash.
The final detailed accident report is expected to be published in July as investigators continue to analyze all factors involved in this tragic and rare aviation disaster.
