Preliminary report released on Air India’s B787-8 aircraft crash in Ahmedabad
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has published its preliminary report on the fatal crash of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft, registration VT-ANB, which went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
The scheduled flight AI171 to London Gatwick was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. According to Air India, only one person survived among the 242 onboard. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed when the aircraft impacted residential buildings near the airport.
According to the report, the aircraft reached 180 knots shortly after liftoff before suffering a dual engine shutdown. “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 investigators stated.
Cockpit voice recordings captured confusion between the pilots. “One of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
Investigators confirmed that “the thrust levers remained forward (takeoff thrust) until the impact,” ruling out intentional power reduction. The fuel control switches had moved to the OFF position unexpectedly, with no prior reported defects. The flap handle was “firmly seated in the 5-degree flap position, consistent with a normal takeoff flap setting,” and “the landing gear lever was in DOWN position.”
Although a 2018 FAA bulletin had warned of possible disengagement of the locking feature in similar switches, Air India had not performed recommended checks, as “the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory.”
Both fuel switches were re-engaged in flight, initiating engine relight. While Engine 1 began to recover, Engine 2 failed to regain thrust. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel, approximately 1.7 kilometers away from the departure end of the runway.
The AAIB stated the “investigation is continuing” and no safety recommendations have yet been issued.
As previously reported, 206 victims of Air India Flight 171’s crash into a medical college hostel in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad have been identified through DNA testing, according to the Gujarat government.