Fuel to Air India Plane Was Cut Off Before Crash, Report Says – The New York Times
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Unexpected fuel cutoff preceded Air India plane crash, preliminary report says
Air India Flight 171 crashed on June 12, killing all but one of the 242 people on board. Investigators say both engines stopped receiving fuel shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 787 crashed into a dormitory at a medical college, causing a massive fireball. The investigation is still in its early stages and is not likely to be complete for more than a year. The findings issued Friday are a summary of facts available to investigators and do not include conclusions about why the crash happened, the report says. of the crash has stoked concern among international safety experts that the lack of transparency would make it difficult for other airlines to make it clear whether there were any broader safety risks that need to be addressed, experts say. The crash was probably caused by human error, an aviation consultant and retired United Airlines pilot says. The plane appeared to roll down the runway and take off normally, according to experts who have reviewed videos from the scene. But after only a few seconds in the air, the jet stopped climbing and crashed into the dormitory.
The Boeing 787 took off from the Ahmedabad airport in western India before crashing into a dormitory at a medical college, causing a massive fireball. All but one of the 242 people on the plane were killed, as were 19 people on the ground. One passenger made a miraculous escape from the jet.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Audio from the cockpit suggests both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff,” the report’s authors write. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
The switches have safeguards designed to stop them being inadvertently moved.
“Each switch has a mechanical lock where you have to lift the switch up and then move it, so it’s highly unlikely for switches like this to be inadvertently moved absent some mechanical failure,” said Jeff Guzzetti, the former director of the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigation division.
Advertisement
Seconds later, the switches were flipped back into the run position, standard procedure for restarting the engines. But so early in the flight, restarting the engines wouldn’t have had the desired effect, said Ross “Rusty” Aimer, an aviation consultant and retired United Airlines pilot.
“At that altitude, there’s no chance in hell that they can relight that in time to gain speed and power and altitude,” Aimer said. The airliner reached an altitude of only several hundred feet before crashing.
The preliminary report was released about 1 a.m. local time Saturday. The investigation is still in its early stages and is not likely to be complete for more than a year.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement
Based on the preliminary findings, the crash was probably caused by human error, Aimer said, though he added that he would wait for a final report to render judgment. “There’s a one in a million or billion chance that the gods of electronics got together and screwed this thing up,” he said, referring to the possibility that the switches malfunctioned independent of the pilots’ actions.
The airliner was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport. The plane appeared to roll down the runway and take off normally, according to experts who have reviewed videos from the scene. But after only a few seconds in the air, the jet stopped climbing. The pilots transmitted a mayday call 23 seconds after the first switch flipped into the cutoff position, according to the report.
An Air India plane headed to London with 242 people on board crashed on June 12, minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad. (Video: Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)
The plane’s landing gear remained down and video and audio suggests an emergency device known as a ram air turbine, or RAT, had deployed on the plane, potentially evidence of a rare double engine failure, experts have said. The device drops from the bottom of an aircraft, spinning as it moves through the air to provide emergency power.
Advertisement
The findings issued Friday are required under international standards governing crash investigations. But they are a summary of facts available to investigators and do not include conclusions about why the crash happened.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is leading a team of Americans aiding the investigation, but responsibility for releasing information remains with Indian officials.
The report notes that the switches to cut off fuel were flipped one after the other, a finding that Guzzetti characterized as unusual. He and other experts said officials should investigate the pilots’ backgrounds in service of a full accounting of the crash.
Advertisement
“Unfortunately, there have been a few accidents in the past where a crew member intentionally caused the aircraft to crash,” said Ross Sagun, the CEO of Sagun Aviation Consulting.
Authorities typically provide regular briefings to the public immediately after serious crashes, but in the case of the Air India crash, little official information had been shared. That left a void filled, in some cases, by misinformation and stoked concern among international safety experts that the lack of transparency would make it difficult for other airlines to know whether there were any broader safety risks that needed to be urgently addressed.
“Every standard operating procedure, every law, every regulation in aviation is written in blood,” Aimer said. “In other words, we’ve made these mistakes in the past and hopefully we’ve learned something.”
Advertisement
The investigation got off to a slow start. The plane’s black boxes, which record conversations between the pilots and log data from the jet’s systems, were recovered from the wreckage in the days after the crash. But investigators did not begin to analyze data from them until June 24 at a lab in Delhi. The information in the boxes will be vital to investigators as they piece together what went wrong.
Advertisement Advertisement
The report’s authors note that they make no recommendations to Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane, or General Electric, the maker of the engine. As Boeing and General Electric are American companies, the NTSB also appointed representatives from the two manufacturing firms and the FAA to assist the investigation, the report said.
The crash was the first involving a 787, a fuel-efficient Boeing jet first put into service in 2011. The new planes were briefly grounded in 2013 because of a battery fire but have had a good safety record in the years since.
CCTV footage on social media shows Air India Flight 171 on the runway in Ahmedabad and crashing shortly after takeoff. (Video: Reuters)
Indian aviation authorities began a broader review in the immediate aftermath of the crash and stepped up their oversight of the nation’s airlines. They found cases of improper maintenance procedures and a plane with worn tires. But they did not find any evidence of broader risks to Air India’s 787 fleet.
“This preliminary report answers some questions, but it poses other questions,” Guzzetti said.
Engine 1 and Engine 2 cut off within 1 second: What caused Air India plane crash? 10 key findings from probe report
Preliminary report into Air India 171 crash in Ahmedabad, India, released on Saturday. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for London Gatwick when it crashed on June 12. Of the 241 people onboard, only one passenger survived. The report reveals a sequence of events marked by mid-air engine shutdowns, cockpit confusion, and failed recovery attempts just seconds after takeoff. The aircraft crashed in nose-up attitude with an 8-degree nose- up pitch and level wings, according to flight path analysis. The plane disintegrated across a wide zone, hitting multiple buildings. Debris, including engines and landing gear, was scattered over more than 1,000 feet, indicating the force of the impact and trajectory of the aircraft. The AAIB report confirms that wreckage analysis, post-mortem reports, and component inspections are ongoing, but no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators.
Here are the key findings from the preliminary investigation report:
Fuel to both engines cut off mid-air: Just three seconds after liftoff at 08:08:39 UTC, the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were triggered, one second apart. “The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec,” the report states.
Cockpit voice recorder captures pilot confusion: The cockpit voice recording reveals confusion in the final moments. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.” Investigators are looking into whether the switches were triggered manually, inadvertently, or by a system malfunction.
Relight attempt on engines: The flight data shows that an automatic relight was attempted. Engine 1 briefly responded, but Engine 2 did not recover despite multiple attempts to reintroduce fuel. This failure ultimately made it impossible for the aircraft to maintain thrust.
Emergency RAT deployment: The Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency power source deployed in response to power failure, activated right after takeoff, a clear indicator of loss of electrical power to critical systems.
Mayday call issued moments before: At 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots issued a distress call: “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY.” The Air Traffic Controller attempted to confirm the call sign but received no further response. Seconds later, the aircraft crashed.
Aircraft crashed in nose-up attitude: Flight path analysis shows the aircraft hit buildings near BJ Medical College with an 8-degree nose-up pitch and level wings. With no thrust from either engine, the aircraft could not sustain flight.
Thrust levers found in idle post-crash: Although the thrust levers were in takeoff position during flight, they were found in idle after the crash. Flaps and landing gear were confirmed to be in standard takeoff positions, ruling out abnormal configuration as a factor.
Wreckage spread across 1,000 feet: The plane disintegrated across a wide zone, hitting multiple buildings. Debris, including engines and landing gear, was scattered over more than 1,000 feet, indicating the force of the impact and trajectory.
Aircraft airworthy, no fuel control issues logged earlier: The aircraft had valid airworthiness certification. Though there were some minor Category C and D MEL (Minimum Equipment List) issues, none related to fuel control. Notably, no previous issues with fuel cutoff switches had been reported.
Optional Boeing advisory not followed: While Boeing had issued an optional advisory on fuel control switch locking mechanisms, Air India had not carried out the recommended checks. The aircraft’s throttle control modules had been replaced in 2019 and 2023.
Next steps in investigation
NEW DELHI: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIM) Saturday released its preliminary report into the tragic crash of Air India 171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed 260 lives.The 15-page preliminary report, released a month after tragic crash, details the early findings and current status of the investigation into the crash of Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick. The aircraft crashed just moments after takeoff, slamming into a medical hostel complex near the airport. Of the 241 people onboard, only one passenger survived.The report reveals a sequence of events marked by mid-air engine shutdowns, cockpit confusion, and failed recovery attempts just seconds after takeoff.The AAIB report confirms that wreckage analysis, post-mortem reports, and component inspections are ongoing. “At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers,” the agency said.Air India stated it is cooperating fully with the investigation. Boeing, too, said: “We will defer to the AAIB to provide information about AI171, in adherence with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization protocol known as Annex 13.”
Air India crash report shows pilot confusion over engine switch movement
Crash of Boeing 787 killed 260 people last month. One pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff. The crash is a challenge for Tata Group’s ambitious campaign to restore Air India’s reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight, as experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches. It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight’s captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, mayday” Just before the crash, the plane’s black boxes combined cockpit data recorders, were recovered in India and downloaded in the following days and later downloaded in India. The final report is expected within a year and is expected to provide crucial altitude, speed and altitude data.
Companies Crash of Boeing 787 killed 260 people last month
Pilots experienced, unclear how fuel switches moved
One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel
NEW DELHI, July 12 (Reuters) – A preliminary report depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before an Air India jetliner crashed, killing 260 people last month, after the plane’s engine fuel cutoff switches almost simultaneously flipped, starving the engines of fuel.
The Boeing (BA.N) , opens new tab 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad immediately began to lose thrust and sink down, according to the report on the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade released on Saturday by Indian accident investigators.
Sign up here.
The report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the June 12 crash shortly after takeoff raises fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches, while suggesting that Boeing and engine maker GE (GE.N) , opens new tab had no apparent responsibility for the accident.
The crash is a challenge for Tata Group’s ambitious campaign to restore Air India’s reputation and revamp its fleet, after taking the carrier over from the government in 2022.
Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, CCTV footage shows a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines.
In the flight’s final moment , one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
It did not identify which remarks were made by the flight’s captain and which by the first officer, nor which pilot transmitted “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” just before the crash.
The commanding pilot of the Air India plane was Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who had a total flying experience of 15,638 hours and, according to the Indian government, was also an Air India instructor. His co-pilot was Clive Kunder, 32, who had 3,403 hours of total experience.
The fuel switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff. The preliminary report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight.
Experts have said a pilot would not be able to accidentally move the fuel switches.
“If they were moved because of a pilot, why?” asked U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse.
The switches flipped a second apart, the report said, roughly the time it would take to shift one and then the other, according to U.S. aviation expert John Nance. He added that a pilot would normally never turn the switches off in flight, especially as the plane is starting to climb.
Flipping to cutoff almost immediately cuts the engines. It is most often used to turn engines off once a plane has arrived at its airport gate and in certain emergency situations, such as an engine fire. The report does not indicate there was any emergency requiring an engine cutoff.
FILE PHOTO: Tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed is seen stuck on a building after the incident in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash, said the report, which was released around 1:30 a.m. IST on Saturday (2000 GMT on Friday).
Air India acknowledged the report in a statement. The carrier said it was cooperating with Indian authorities but declined further comment.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board thanked Indian officials for their cooperation in a statement and noted that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing 787 jets or the GE engines.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said its priority was to follow the facts where they lead and it was committed to promptly addressing any risks identified throughout the process.
Boeing said it continued to support the investigation and its customer, Air India. GE Aerospace did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
CRASH PROBE
The AAIB, an office under India’s civil aviation ministry, is leading the probe into the crash, which killed all but one of the 242 people on board and 19 others on the ground.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report due 30 days after the accident according to international rules , and a final report expected within a year.
The plane’s black boxes , combined cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders, were recovered in the days following the crash and later downloaded in India.
Black boxes provide crucial data such as altitude, airspeed and final pilot conversations which help in narrowing down possible causes of the crash.
Air India has been under intense scrutiny since the crash.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.
India’s aviation watchdog has also warned Air India for breaching rules for flying three Airbus planes with overdue checks on escape slides and in June warned it about “serious violations” of pilot duty timings.
India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, with New Delhi saying it wants India to be a job-creating global aviation hub along the lines of Dubai, which currently handles much of the country’s international traffic.
Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee and Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru and Aditya Kalra and Abhijith Ganapavaram in New Delhi and by Allison Lampert in Montreal, David Shepardson in Washington, Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago and Dan Catchpole in Seattle; Editing by Jamie Freed
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
Share X
Link Purchase Licensing Rights
Fuel switches were cut off before Air India plane crashed, preliminary report says
Fuel cutoff switches were changed from “run” to “cutoff” on the Boeing 787-8, the report says. The report is preliminary and a final report could take weeks. All but one passenger on the plane and 29 others on the ground died in the crash. Air India says it is working closely with regulators and cooperating with the investigation.”Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident,” the airline says. investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau included members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board because the crash involved an U.N.-made plane. It was the first crash for Boeing’s Dreamliner series of aircraft, which went into commercial service in 2011. the report does not reach conclusions or recommend actions to operators or manufacturers.
The report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau comes as the airline has been under intense pressure to answer for the crash, which killed all but one passenger on the plane and 29 others on the ground.
Fuel cutoff switches were changed from “run” to “cutoff” to engines 1 and 2 on the two-engine Boeing 787-8, a type of aircraft known as the Dreamliner, the report said.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report reads.
The report is preliminary and a final report could take weeks. The report released Friday does not reach conclusions or recommend actions to operators or manufacturers, and the investigation is continuing.
Only one person survived the crash, British national Ramesh Viswashkumar. His brother, also on the plane, was killed.
In addition to the 241 people on the plane who died, 29 people on the ground were also killed when the plane crashed.
The London-bound Air India Flight 171 was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members when it crashed seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. It careened into a building where medical students were sitting down for lunch.
After the switches were changed to cutoff, there were attempts to recover and relight, the report says.
“Engine 1’s core deceleration stopped, reversed and started to progress to recovery. Engine 2 was able to relight but could not arrest core speed deceleration and re-introduced fuel repeatedly to increase core speed acceleration and recovery,” the report reads.
One pilot then issued a distress call — “mayday mayday mayday” — and the plane lost altitude and crashed, the report says. The aircraft exploding upon impact.
Air India said Friday that it is working closely with regulators and fully cooperating with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and other authorities. It said it could not comment on specific details because of the ongoing investigation.
“Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident,” the airline said. “We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.”
It was the first crash for Boeing’s Dreamliner series of aircraft, which went into commercial service in 2011.
The investigation by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau included members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board because the crash involved an U.S.-made plane. Last month investigators began analyzing the black boxes after their recovery from the crash site.
After the crash, India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, ordered Air India to carry out additional maintenance on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircrafts.
But no major concerns were found, the watchdog said on June 17 in a statement.
A week later, the regulator said in a statement it had found multiple cases of “repeated defects on aircraft indicating ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action,” while probing several airports, including at New Delhi and Mumbai, and that it had ordered for changes to be made within seven days.
Reuters reported that Air India’s subsidiary airline, Air India Express, was also reprimanded by Indian authorities in March, and is under investigation by the European Union’s aviation safety agency for not changing engine parts of one of its Airbus aircraft in a timely fashion.
Boeing said in a statement Friday that it continues to support the investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected on the ground in Ahmedabad,” the company said.
Air India pilot asked why fuel had been cut off moments before fatal crash
An Air India pilot asked why the doomed plane’s fuel had been cut off moments before it crashed. All but one of 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the aircraft plunged into a medical student hostel in a built-up suburb last month. Initial findings indicate switches controlling fuel flow to the jet’s two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off. One of the engines was in the process of regaining power at the time the aircraft crashed. The other was relit but was not yet regaining thrust when the plane crashed. While the initial report does not draw any conclusion, it has raised questions about the actions of Sumeet Sabharwal, the lead pilot, and Clive Kundar, the co-pilot. The pilots had more than 9,000 hours of flying time between them. However, the first fatal crash of the Boeing Dreamliner had already suffered a string of safety and quality problems after it entered service in 2011.
A highly-anticipated report released by Indian authorities just after midnight on Saturday said initial findings indicate switches controlling fuel flow to the jet’s two engines were turned off, leading to a catastrophic loss of thrust at take-off.
All but one of 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the aircraft plunged into a medical student hostel in a built-up suburb last month, less than a minute after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Amid the confusion, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why “did you cut off” to the fuel supply in the recovered cockpit voice recording.
The other pilot responded that he “didn’t”, according to the report.
The switches were then moved back to their normal position, which automatically started the process of relighting the engines.
One of the engines was in the process of regaining power at the time the aircraft crashed. The other was relit but was not yet regaining thrust.
“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to [the engine operators and manufacturers], suggesting that no significant fault has been found with the plane or its engines,” the report reads.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The findings explain why the jet’s emergency-power generator, known as a ram air turbine, appeared to have been activated moments before it plummeted to the ground.
CCTV reveals the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) being deployed shortly after take-off. This is a tell-tale sign of complete electrical loss – Amit kumar
While the initial report does not draw any conclusion, it has raised questions about the actions of Sumeet Sabharwal, the lead pilot, and Clive Kundar, the co-pilot.
The pilots had more than 9,000 hours of flying time between them.
In the moments before disaster Sabharwal issued a mayday call. However, after the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of barely 400ft above the runway all contact was lost.
The attitude (angle of the plane) when it collided with the building has been revealed – Amit kumar
At 8.09am universal time, with the ground rapidly approaching, one of the pilots transmitted the distress call: “Mayday mayday mayday,” the report said.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
However, air traffic control received no further communication.
“The air traffic control officer (ATCO) enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response,” reads the report.
Video footage showed the jet suffering a catastrophic loss of lift as the pilot said he was losing power.
The plane then glided down towards the ground, and after disappearing behind a group of trees it crashed just a few hundred yards from the end of the runway in an explosion of fire.
In its 15-page report, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said the wreckage had been moved to a secure site near the airport.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“Both engines were retrieved from the wreckage site and quarantined at a hangar in the airport,” the report said.
“Components of interest for further examinations have been identified and quarantined,” the report added.
The left hand engine of the plane, which was retrieved from the wreckage site – Amit kumar
The flap handle recovered from the wreckage was found to be firmly seated in the five-degree flap position, consistent with normal take-off procedures.
“The position was also confirmed from the enhanced airborne flight recorder (EAFR) data. The landing gear lever was in ‘down’ position. The thrust lever quadrant sustained significant thermal damage.”
The crash was the first fatal accident involving Boeing’s Dreamliner. However, the airliner had already suffered reputational damage after a string of safety and quality problems.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The Dreamliner, which entered service in 2011, is popular among commercial airlines and is commonly used on international long-haul routes.
Delays in the investigation led by Indian authorities and the refusal to release information to the public has fuelled frustration among some American government officials.
A fire officer stands next to the wreckage of the plane – Adnan Abidi
India’s government said data extraction from the plane’s black boxes started on June 24 by a team of Indian and US experts, including some from the US National Transportation Safety Board.
American officials have been frustrated by what they say is the slow pace of downloading, analysing and sharing the contents of the black boxes, insiders added.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
The investigation will also examine the plane’s engine thrust capacity, its flap settings – which affect how much altitude a plane can gain – and why the aircraft’s landing gear remained extended.
Maintenance records and crew actions are also under review, while a bird strike has reportedly been ruled out.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seen with Indian PM Narendra Modi, was hailed a ‘miracle man’ after surviving the accident
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, was the sole survivor of the crash.
The businessman from Leicester was sitting in seat 11A, which was close to the front of the plane and severed from the rest of the fuselage during the crash.
Mr Ramesh suffered multiple injuries, including contusions to his chest and deep lacerations on both feet, but managed to walk away from the crash. His brother was killed in the accident.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Fifty-three British nationals were killed alongside 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals.
At the time, the chief executive and president of Boeing vowed to assist the investigation into the crash.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,” Kelly Ortberg said.
An Air India spokesperson said: “Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025.
“Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.
“Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB.”
Read the report in full below:
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.