On July 12, 2025, an Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in India, resulting in the deaths of 241 people on board and 19 on the ground, with only one survivor. This incident became India’s most severe aviation disaster in nearly 30 years and the deadliest air crash globally in 11 years.
According to the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India on Saturday, just seconds after reaching takeoff speed, the fuel control switches for both engines were almost simultaneously switched from “run” to “cutoff,” causing a sudden loss of engine thrust.
The report stated that based on the cockpit voice recordings, one pilot questioned the other pilot about why the fuel switches were cut off, to which the response was “I did not do that.”
Although the fuel switches were turned back to “run” position a few seconds later, the two engines could not recover normal thrust. The report indicated that one engine briefly stopped decelerating and began to recover, but the second engine, despite being reignited, could not stabilize core rotation speed, thus failing to regain power effectively.
As a result, the aircraft was unable to climb in altitude and exploded upon impact as it crashed.
The plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, headed for Gatwick Airport in London, UK. However, it crashed shortly after takeoff, colliding with a medical college building where medical students were having lunch.
The air crash resulted in the deaths of 241 people on board, with only one British passenger, Ramesh Viswashkumar, miraculously surviving. His brother, who was also on the same flight, tragically died. Additionally, 19 people on the ground lost their lives due to the plane crash.
The captain of the ill-fated aircraft was 56-year-old Sumeet Sabharwal, with a total flying time of 15,638 hours. According to Indian government data, he was also a flight instructor for Air India. The co-pilot was 32-year-old Clive Kunder, with a total flying time of 3,403 hours.
Air India stated in a declaration that they are closely cooperating with regulatory authorities and accident investigation agencies, expressing condolences and support to all the victims’ families. Boeing also issued a statement, pledging continued assistance in the investigation and offering condolences to all those affected by the tragedy.
This incident marked the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its commercial service debut in 2011.
The report indicated that at present, no direct responsibility has been attributed to Boeing or engine manufacturer General Electric (GE) for the accident, and no specific recommendations for operators or manufacturers have been put forward. However, the investigation is ongoing, and the exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined.
Following the accident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India ordered additional inspections of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft models. In a statement on June 17, they mentioned that no major issues were found.
However, a week later, regulatory authorities pointed out “repeated occurrences of defects, monitoring failures, and inadequate maintenance” at some airports, demanding prompt improvements.
Furthermore, Air India’s subsidiary, Air India Express, faced investigations by Indian authorities and the European Aviation Safety Agency for failing to replace Airbus engine components on time and falsifying compliance records.
The Indian government views the aviation industry as a strategic focus in supporting economic development and establishing a global aviation hub. However, this incident has dealt a significant blow to the reputation and development plans of Indian aviation.