Final exchange between Air India pilots before fatal crash exposed.
The preliminary crash report into Air India Flight AI171 has done little to soothe grieving families—if anything, it’s left them angrier and more confused than ever.
Fatal flight profiled.
Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, bound for London, but barely cleared the runway before disaster struck.
Just minutes after takeoff, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner spiraled into a crowded residential neighborhood and exploded into a fireball.
All 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground were killed, except for one man—British-Indian Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who somehow survived.
A frantic MAYDAY call was sent at 08:09:05 UTC, but air traffic control received no response before the plane vanished.
The horrific crash left families shattered, desperate for answers that seemed impossible to find.
New report released.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report that only added to the confusion.
Investigators revealed both fuel cutoff switches had been flipped after takeoff, shutting down the engines and dooming the flight.
Aviation experts explained these switches require deliberate, two-step manual action—pulling up a lever before flipping—making accidental activation nearly impossible.
Captain Mohan Ranganathan declared, “It had to be deliberately done. Nothing else explains it.”
An anonymous Canadian accident investigator agreed, calling accidental deployment “almost impossible.”
The AAIB cautiously stopped short of blaming the pilots but made clear the shutdown was not due to mechanical failure.
The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association fired back against rumors of pilot s******, slamming the media for irresponsible speculation.
“To suggest s****** without evidence is a gross violation of ethics,” they said, defending the crew’s professionalism under pressure.
The report also revisited a 2018 FAA warning about possible faulty fuel switches on Boeing aircraft.
The FAA bulletin had flagged switches that might disengage their locking feature, risking accidental shutdown.
Air India admitted inspections were never done, dismissing the FAA’s advisory as non-mandatory.
Response to new report unveiled.
Families demand transparency and accountability, feeling the report only fuels uncertainty without answers.
Ishan Baxi, who lost relatives in the crash, called for a full investigation that doesn’t shy away from tough truths.
The Nanabawa family, who lost three members, plead for honesty and closure to help heal their grief.
Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson insisted no mechanical faults were found after inspecting the fleet post-crash.
However, the spotlight shifted to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal’s medical history, with claims of prior mental health struggles under review.
Air India denies he took medical leave, noting both pilots passed medical exams in the two years before the flight.
The crash’s cause remains shrouded in mystery, a haunting puzzle that will haunt aviation circles and grieving families alike.
Chilling cockpit audio decoded.
The chilling cockpit voice recorder reveals the final moments before disaster, deepening the mystery.
One pilot asked, “Why did you cutoff?” in a panic, while the other replied, “I didn’t.”
The exchange captures the confusion and desperation inside the cockpit seconds before the engines died.
The MAYDAY call echoes shortly after, as pilots struggle to regain control.
Air traffic control scrambled emergency response teams but could only watch helplessly as the plane crashed.
The audio fuels fierce debate: Was the shutdown accidental, or deliberate?
The world awaits more answers.
As investigators dig deeper, the full truth behind Air India flight AI171’s devastating crash is still out of reach.
With lives lost and questions mounting, only time will tell whether justice, closure, and safety reforms will follow.