Officials investigating the crash of Air India Flight 171 uncovered a critical mistake: fuel to both engines was cut off just seconds after taking off. This event caused the Boeing 787-8 to lose power and crash into a medical college dormitory in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people, including those on the ground. Miraculously, one passenger survived the disaster.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s latest report, released on July 11, revealed audio from the cockpit where one pilot questioned the other about shutting off the fuel, but the other pilot denied doing so. The fuel cutoff occurred at a speed of 180 knots and led to the loss of power in both engines at nearly the same time. Only one engine saw partial recovery before the crash at 1:38 p.m.
Cutting off fuel in flight is only done in extreme emergencies like fires, none of which were reported. The cause of who activated the fuel cutoff remains unclear.
Peter Goelz, a former top official at the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, finds the situation troubling and believes more investigation is needed to fully understand the cockpit voice recordings.
Families of the victims want clearer explanations, as the technical report has left them feeling frustrated. Air India has yet to give a full response. The final report is expected to provide more details on whether this tragic mistake was human error or a technical problem.
