A preliminary investigation into the Air India Flight AI-171 crash near Ahmedabad on June 12 has revealed that both pilots made desperate attempts to relight the engines after a sudden loss of thrust caused by fuel starvation. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report confirms that the aircraft’s fuel control switches were inadvertently moved from the “RUN” to the “CUTOFF” position shortly after takeoff, cutting off fuel supply to both engines.
According to former Civil Aviation Minister and trained pilot Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the pilots, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, tried to restore engine power by switching the fuel controls back to “RUN” and initiating relight procedures. However, the aircraft was flying at too low an altitude and speed for the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system to successfully restart the engines. The crash occurred before the relight process could be completed, leaving no time to recover thrust.
The report highlights that the aircraft was airworthy with no engine defects prior to the incident, and the pilots were initially unaware of the fuel cutoff switch positions changing. Cockpit voice recordings captured the crew’s confusion and emergency calls during the critical moments. The entire sequence from takeoff to crash lasted about 30 seconds.
This tragic accident resulted in the deaths of at least 260 people, including passengers, crew, and individuals on the ground, with only one survivor. The investigation continues to determine how the fuel switches were moved to cutoff during flight. Authorities emphasize that the preliminary findings aim to prevent future accidents and do not assign blame.
The incident remains one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters, prompting calls for a thorough probe into procedural adherence and cockpit management during emergencies.