Categories: India

‘Why Did You Cut Off?’, Asked One Pilot, Reveals Air India Crash Probe Report, This is What The Second Pilot Said Seconds Before Deadly Tragedy

The preliminary report on the June 12 Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad reveals both engines failed seconds after takeoff, with fuel cutoff switches shifting unexpectedly. Pilots denied shutting them off. The jet crashed 0.9 NM from the runway after 32 seconds airborne.

Published by Ashish Kumar Singh
Last updated: July 12, 2025 02:30:47 IST

Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12—the first investigation report has been finally shared, it paints a grim picture. Both engines quit almost right after takeoff. Not even a minute in the air.

Digging in, the investigators noticed both fuel cutoff switches flipped from RUN to CUTOFF, one after the other. The black box audio? One pilot straight-up asked, “Why did you cut off?” and the other shot back, “I didn’t.”

Total power loss—confirmed. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) kicked in, and CCTV caught it all.

‘Why Did You Cut Off?’ Asked One Pilot, Reveals Air India Crash Probe Report

The probe reveals the pilots gave it a shot—restarted the engines while still in the air. For a second, Engine 1 almost came back to life, but Engine 2 was dead weight. Nothing worked. The plane managed to stay up for just 32 seconds before it crashed, barely a mile short of the runway, right into a hostel. Absolutely devastating.

The investigation turned up something strange. The thrust levers were physically set to idle, but the black box told a different story: takeoff thrust was still active. So, either something mechanical let go, or there was a system glitch stopping the engines from getting the right commands.

Fuel? Clean. No contaminated fuel from refuelling. Flaps and landing gear? Both are exactly where they should be for takeoff. Weather couldn’t have been better—clear skies, good visibility, barely any wind. Not a single bird in sight.

Pilot-wise, both were fit, fully certified, and had plenty of experience with this aircraft. No signs of sabotage, either. But, one red flag: there was already an FAA advisory about a possible flaw with the fuel cutoff switches, and Air India hadn’t done the recommended checks.

The plane itself was within all the proper weight and balance limits. No hazardous cargo on board. So, while these findings clear up a few things, there’s still a big pile of unanswered questions about how everything went so wrong.

ALSO READ: Ahmedabad Plane Crash Preliminary Report Reveals Both Engines Shut Down Within Seconds After Takeoff