Accident due to fuel cutoff of both engines!
By: InfoNews9 Service | Date: July 12, 2025
✈️ Background of the plane crash
On the morning of June 12, 2025, Air India Express’s AI-171 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which took off from Ahmedabad, crashed within seconds of takeoff, killing a total of 260 people, including the passengers on board and the area where the plane crashed. The accident occurred near a hostel in Ahmedabad city.
📋 AAIB’s preliminary investigation report released
The Indian Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recently released the preliminary detailed report of the accident. The main findings of this report are shocking, and it has been clarified that the accident occurred due to the sudden shutdown of fuel supply to both engines.
🔍 Main findings: “Fuel Cutoff” means accident?
1️⃣ Fuel switch off?
According to the report, the fuel supply to both engines was found to have stopped just 3 seconds after takeoff. Due to this, the engines suddenly stopped and the plane crashed.
2️⃣ Pilots’ dialogue reveals the mystery
According to the dialogue in the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), one pilot asks the other, “Why did you turn off the switch?”, to which the other says, “I didn’t!”. This conversation indicates a possibility of human error or a technical malfunction.
3️⃣ Engine switch was in the ‘RUN’ position
The burnt remains of the plane revealed that the fuel switch was in the ‘RUN’ position. That is, the system turned off the fuel itself, perhaps due to a technical fault.
⚠️ Warnings received earlier – ignored?
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing had issued a service bulletin in 2018, in which it was predicted that the ‘Fuel Switch Lock’ in the Dreamliner 787 variant was not working properly. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) had instructed to take measures to address this.
It is now possible that Air India did not fully implement these instructions.
🤔 Possible causes of the accident
- Human Error: It is possible that the switch was turned off due to incorrect handling at the moment of takeoff.
- Technical failure: The switch turned off the fuel due to a fault in the system.
- Automatic system failure: Problem in the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control) system.
- Non-implementation of previous service instructions: The old failure persists due to non-compliance with the instructions issued by Boeing.
❌ What was not found?
- No evidence of a terrorist act
- No evidence of a bird hit
- Bad weather did not cause the accident
- No personal wrongdoing by the pilot
👮♂️ Investigation continues
The final report of the AAIB is still awaited. This will include a detailed study of the electrical signals, switch lock mechanism, and manual intervention. Representatives of Boeing and DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) officials have been called for further investigation.
📸 Eyewitness and local reaction
People in the area where the plane crashed into the hostel said, “We saw the plane taking off, it suddenly came down and there was a big explosion.”
The local administration, fire brigade and NDRF immediately launched rescue operations.
🧾 Identification of victims and losses
- 260 deaths – 241 on board, 19 at the crash site
- Losses worth crores – aircraft, hostel and vehicles burnt to ashes.
- Government assistance – The government has announced an assistance of ₹25 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
🧠 Conclusion: Big warning!
This incident is a big blow to Air India and raises many serious questions for aviation safety.
- Are regular maintenance of aircraft and FAA instructions followed?
- Are pilot training and emergency systems properly functional?
- Does India conduct an independent investigation if serious defects are found in the systems of manufacturers like BOEING?
📌 Conclusion – Time to focus on safety again!
Air India, DGCA and the central government now need to refocus on aviation safety, pilot training and technical services. If a switch can shut down two engines, this highlights how dangerous the overreliance on automated advanced technology can be.
📢 Read and share:
Do not forget this serious accident in Indian aviation history as just a “mistake”. Learning from this and creating a new definition of safety would be the true tribute to the dead!
[Note]: This article is based on the preliminary report of the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). There may be further changes after the final investigation.