Preliminary report into Air India crash released

Cause of plane crash remains unresolved02:57 BST

Soutik BiswasIndia Correspondent

Investigators say there are two main takeaways from the preliminary report on Air India Flight 171.

First, both engine fuel cut off switches moved from run to cut off within seconds of takeoff, abruptly cutting the plane's thrust at 180 knots.

Cockpit voice recordings capture one pilot asking the other why they'd shut the engines down, only to be met with a denial - heightening suspicion that this wasn’t a routine or accidental action. Engineers note these switches are specifically guarded and require deliberate operation, typically reserved for emergencies like engine fire - not mid-flight manoeuvres.

Second, the preliminary findings reference a 2018 Federal Aviation Authority bulletin alerting operators to the possible disengagement of the fuel switch locking mechanism.

However, there’s no clear explanation of how this mechanical issue could have caused both switches to flip nearly simultaneously. The bulletin was advisory and inspections by Air India were skipped. The airline’s past maintenance included throttle module replacements in 2019 and 2023. None of these replacements were linked to the fuel control switches.

Until further investigation digs into whether this was human error or a rare mechanical malfunction, the cause remains unresolved.

Watch: Aftermath of the Air India plane crash02:40 BST

Footage taken after the Air India plane crash in June shows smoke billowing into the air following the incident.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off on 12 June from Ahmedabad airport in western India, killing 260 people, most of them passengers.

Investigation offers wife of victim little comfort02:23 BST

Samira HussainReporting from Delhi

Two days ago, I met Shweta Parihar, 41, who lost her husband Abhinav Parihar in the crash. He was returning home to London where she and her 11-year-old son were waiting for him.

Parihar, a former NHS worker, said the ongoing investigation offers her little comfort. “We are normal people. We trusted the airline. What is the point of the investigation now?” she said, choking back tears. “We are finished.”

What pains her are the questions asked by her son. "Did he suffer when he died? How much pain was he in? Did he burn?"

Parihar says her son will never fly with Air India, who he blames for killing his father, again.

Watch: Sole survivor walks away from crash site01:51 BST

British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh was the sole survivor of the Air India crash. He escaped the wreckage through an opening in the fuselage.

After the crash, Mr Ramesh said: "I still cannot believe how I made it out alive."

This is the moment he walked away from the crash site:

Authors should be praised for detailed preliminary report, says aviation expert01:43 BST

Soutik BiswasIndia Correspondent

Peter Goelz, a former managing director of the US's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), says he’s impressed by the preliminary report.

Goelz, who has led several accident investigations, says India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, responsible for the report, "needs to be praised for preparing such a detailed preliminary report.”

“Oftentimes when dealing with such a high-profile former flag carrier of a nation, the reports are far less detailed and candid.”

“This was a very detailed report. For that the AAIB should be praised.”

Full preliminary report details cockpit situation, seconds before crash00:50 BST 12 July

As we've been reporting, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has published a 15-page preliminary report. It details what happened to the Air India plane that crashed within seconds after takeoff.

"The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec," the report says.

Then, "in the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."

At 08:08:52 UTC, "the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitioned from CUTOFF to RUN", and four seconds after that, "the Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN." It was now 08:08:56.

At 08:09:05, nine seconds later, one of the pilots transmitted "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY" to the Air Traffic Control Officers on the ground. The officers received no response, and shortly afterwards, they saw the plane crashing.

Here is a link to the preliminary report.

No advisory for Boeing aircraft or engines00:07 BST 12 July

Archana ShuklaIndia business correspondent

One thing that stands out from the report is that so far there has been no advisory issued for the Boeing Dreamliner 787 or the GE GEnx-1B engine operators used in this aircraft.

At the moment mechanical fault has been ruled out but we need to wait for more information to come out as these are just preliminary findings.

The content of the report is, however, quite shocking, especially the fact that both the fuel control switches were moved from the run position to the cut-off position.

But many questions are still swirling around.

Was it a technical issue? Was it a software issue? Was it a human error?

The findings of this report are being closely watched as families of this devastating crash seek closure.

Air India spokesperson says airline is cooperating with authorities23:40 BST 11 July

Air India has released a statement on the report. It says that the airline "stands in solidarity with the families and those affected" and that it is cooperating fully with authorities investigating the crash.

It does not address specific findings in the report.

Here is the statement:

Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time. We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025. Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.

Air India spokesperson

Pilots and crew found 'fit to operate flight' - report23:15 BST 11 July

Prior to boarding Air India Flight 171, the crew and two pilots of the flight all underwent testing to ensure they were capable of operating the aircraft.

The report states that both pilots, who were based at Mumbai, had arrived at Ahmedabad the day before the flight and had an "adequate rest period".

The crew and pilots all also underwent a breathalyser test at 06:25 local time and were found "fit to operate the flight", it added.

Fuel samples taken from plane 'satisfactory', report says22:58 BST 11 July

The report says the fuel samples that were taken from tanks used to refuel the Air India aircraft were "satisfactory".

Aviation experts had previously told the BBC that fuel contamination was a possible factor that could've caused the crash. A dual engine failure could also result from fuel contamination or clogging.

Aircraft engines rely on a precise fuel metering system - if that system gets blocked, it can lead to fuel starvation and engine shutdown.

The report separately outlines that a "very limited amount of fuel samples" were retrieved from the APU filter and Refuel/Jettison valve of the left wing.

"The testing of these samples will be done at a suitable facility capable of carrying out the test with the limited available quantity," the report said.

What do we know about the plane?22:39 BST 11 July

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, a model that was launched 14 years ago.

And we just learned from the preliminary report that - at this stage of investigation - "there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers".

Air India operates a fleet of more than 190 planes including 58 Boeing aircraft, according to its website.

The crashed 787 Dreamliner was 11 years old and had completed more than 700 flights in the year leading up to the disaster, Flightradar24 data showed.

What does it mean when a plane's engines are 'cut off'?22:22 BST 11 July

As we've been reporting, the preliminary report into the Air India Flight 171 crash indicated that both engines on the plane were almost simultaneously flipped from run to cut-off.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner then began to lose thrust and sink down, before crashing in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad.

Flipping to "cut-off" almost immediately cuts the engines, and starves them of fuel.

This typically happens when a plane has arrived at its destination and the engines are turned off.

It can also occur in emergency scenarios, but the preliminary report did not indicate there was such an incident on board.

How the investigation works22:12 BST 11 July

Our team is continuing to parse through the preliminary investigation into the Air India crash.

As a reminder, under international aviation rules, the investigating state has to file an initial report, detailing any findings, within 30 days of an air crash.

In a statement released last month, India's Ministry for Civil Aviation said the investigation has been led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

The investigation includes an aviation medicine specialist, an Air Traffic Control officer, as well as representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The statement adds that both black box recorders were located in the days following the crash - one on the rooftop of the building of the crash site, found on 13 June, and the other in the debris on 16 June. Data extraction began on 24 June.

The ministry statement adds that “these efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences".

At least five buildings destroyed by the Air India crash22:08 BST 11 July

We now know from the report that at least five buildings were destroyed when Air India Flight 171 crashed into a densely-populated residential area in the west Indian city of Ahmedabad.

"The aircraft was destroyed due to impact with the buildings on the ground and subsequent fire," the report said.

We previously reported that nearly 30 people also died on the ground after the plane hurtled down and crashed into a hostel for medical students outside the airport in Ahmedabad.

One of the engines able to restart after cut off - report21:58 BST 11 July

One section of the report explains how one of the engines was able to restart after transitioning to cutoff, but could not reverse the plane's deceleration.

Engine 1’s core deceleration stopped, reversed and started to progress to recovery, the report says, while Engine 2 was able to relight but "could not arrest core speed deceleration".

CCTV shows no 'significant bird activity' in flight path21:56 BST 11 July

The CCTV obtained from the airport showed that there was no "significant bird activity" observed in the vicinity of the flight path, the report said.

Experts had previously speculated that a bird striking the airplane could have caused the plane to crash, but the report released today suggests that was likely not the case.

What else does the report say?21:37 BST 11 July

In its 15-page report, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) says the wreckage site activities, including drone photography and videography, have been completed.

The wreckage itself has been moved to a secure area near the airport.

"Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage site and quarantined at a hangar in the airport," the report said.

"Components of interest for further examinations have been identified and quarantined," the report added.

'Why did you cut off?' pilot heard in voice recording of cockpit21:24 BST 11 JulyBreaking

One of the findings from the report outlines how a pilot could be heard asking the other pilot in a voice recording of the cockpit in the moments before the crash: why did you cut off?

The report says that both engine fuel cut off switches were turned to "cut-off" with a time delay.

Below is an excerpt of that finding from the preliminary report:

"The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec.

"The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cutoff.

"In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."

Air India Flight 171 crash - a reminder of what happened21:11 BST 11 July

• Air India Flight 171 was travelling from Ahmedabad to London on 12 June and crashed shortly after take off, killing 241 of 242 people on board
• In total, officials say 260 people were killed in the incident, after the plane plunged into a densely populated neighbourhood
• The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner gave a mayday signal to air traffic control before crashing into a building that was used as doctors' accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital
• The sole survivor on board the plane, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, said: "I still cannot believe how I made it out alive"
• There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian and 12 crew on board
• A formal investigation was launched by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the cause of the crash