Air India crash initial report out: Probe reveals chilling cockpit audio, what exactly happened; Top 10 pointers

Seconds after lifting off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, Air India’s Flight AI171 was doomed. Bound for London Gatwick, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, killing all 260 people on board and on the ground.

Now, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report, offering the first detailed look into the terrifying sequence of events that turned a routine flight into tragedy.

Among the most chilling revelations: cockpit audio capturing one pilot asking, “Why did you cutoff?” The other pilot replied, “I did not do so.”

According to the AAIB’s 15-page report, this exchange came moments after both engines inexplicably shut down mid-air, just seconds after take-off. Investigators are examining whether the shutdown was caused by technical malfunction, pilot error, or another unforeseen factor.

The report also outlines key technical findings and the timeline of the disaster. Here are the 10 key points highlighted in the AAIB’s preliminary report:

10 Key Points in the AAIB Report

1. Both fuel cutoff switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF within one second after take-off, shutting down both engines midair and severing fuel supply.

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2. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cutoff?” to which the other responded, “I did not.”

3. The aircraft crashed into BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad seconds after liftoff, killing all 260 onboard and on the ground. Of those, 241 were passengers and crew, while 19 were casualties on the ground.

4. The aircraft reached a top speed of 180 knots before both engines lost thrust simultaneously, leading to a rapid loss of speed and altitude.

5. CCTV footage showed the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deploying immediately after liftoff—a system triggered by loss of power, confirming engine shutdown.

6. After the initial cutoff, both fuel switches were moved back to RUN. One engine briefly stabilized, but the other failed to recover. Engine 2 showed signs of brief recovery, while Engine 1 failed to stabilize and thrust could not be regained.

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7. Investigators found no evidence of bird activity near the flight path, ruling out bird strike as a cause for the dual engine failure.

8. Despite throttles being set for takeoff until impact, both were found in idle position post-crash due to thermal damage.

9. The aircraft’s forward Extended Airframe Flight Recorder (EAFR) was recovered and successfully downloaded, while the aft EAFR was too badly damaged to retrieve data.

10. Components of interest have been quarantined, but the AAIB has not issued any advisory yet to Boeing or GE engine operators as the root cause remains under investigation.