Air India crash: Preliminary report expected today

It has been a month since the Air India 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on June 12. The London-bound flight ended in tragedy, claiming the lives of 260 people, with only one survivor. Since then, families and officials alike have awaited answers about what went wrong.

The preliminary investigation report is expected to be released today, marking an important step in understanding the cause of the fatal crash.

Timeline and what happened

According to officials, the aircraft took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at around 1:38 PM. Moments after departure, the pilot issued a ‘Mayday’ call, and the plane crashed into the rooftop of a medical college hostel, followed by an explosion.

Key flight data, including the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—commonly referred to as black boxes—were recovered from the crash site. Both were found intact and are now being analyzed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing.

The Investigation report yet to be made public on Friday about the cause of Air India crash is focusing on the movement of the engine fuel control switches. The co-pilot mistakenly cut off fuel supply to one of the engines and the Captain activated Auto pilot mode at a wrong altd pic.twitter.com/GqNqhlY2ie

— Capt. Feni Rogers🇺🇬🇺🇲 (@CaptFeni30596) July 9, 2025

What investigators are looking into

Initial speculation pointed to engine failure. However, recent updates indicate that the focus has shifted to the cockpit’s fuel control switches and engine thrust management. These switches, placed at the center console, are used to activate and deactivate the plane’s GE Aerospace engines.

A Bloomberg report noted that investigators have not found any design or mechanical issues with the aircraft or its engines. But questions remain about how both engines could fail simultaneously—a scenario experts consider highly unlikely.

Aviation analyst Bjorn Fehrm, a former fighter pilot, commented on a video of the crash, noting, “Everything is normal until they don’t put in the (landing) gear, and very shortly after the aircraft is losing thrust.” Fehrm added, “But as to scenarios where both engines power down simultaneously? That’s improbable like hell.”

Fuel switches under scrutiny

The latest line of inquiry involves whether the fuel control switches were deliberately or accidentally moved. Aviation safety expert John Cox told Reuters that it is very unlikely a pilot would accidentally hit those switches. “You can’t bump them and they move,” he said.

However, he also described a possible scenario: if one engine failed and the pilot attempted to switch it off but mistakenly shut off the functioning engine instead, it could result in both engines shutting down within seconds.

Report may offer first clarity

The preliminary findings are expected to bring some initial clarity into the causes of the crash that killed 241 passengers and nearly two dozen crew members. While the full investigation may take months, today’s report will serve as the first official indication of what might have led to the disaster.

As the first findings emerge, investigators may finally uncover what triggered the deadly crash just seconds after takeoff.

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