‘Fuel supply (*171*) AI 171 Dreamliner engines got cutoff 3 seconds after liftoff, plane crashed 29 seconds later’: AAIB in preliminary report | India News

NEW DELHI: New Delhi: The preliminary probe into the crash of AI 171 has revealed that three seconds after getting airborne from Ahmedabad on June 12, gas supply (*171*) each engines of the Air India Boeing 787 working as AI 171 got lower off. The engines’ fan velocity started dropping and the plane weighing 213.4 tons — which was shut (*171*) its most take off weight with 54,200 kg of jet gas — began (*171*) lose altitude earlier than crossing the airport perimeter wall. The cause: gas cutoff switches of the London-bound Dreamliner’s engine 1 and a couple of transitioned from “run” (*171*) “cutoff” place one after one other with a time hole of a second. How and why this occurred isn’t but identified. But what it led (*171*) is: The pilots issued a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” name 26 seconds after getting airborne and after that the crash occurred inside six seconds. The two pilots had been shocked by the sudden gas cutoff. “One of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” says the report ready by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and made public early Saturday.As a outcome the engines’ fan rotation velocity (N1 and N2) began lowering even because the ill-fated plane weighed 2,13,401 kg on take off — shut (*171*) its most take off weight of two,18,183 kg. (*3*) says the report.The plane’s “Ram Air Turbine” (RAT) got deployed throughout the preliminary climb instantly after lift-off as “both engines’ N2 (fan rotation speed) values passed below minimum idle speed,” it says. No important fowl exercise was noticed in the neighborhood of the flight path. The plane began (*171*) lose altitude earlier than crossing the airport perimeter wall.Ten seconds later (08:08:52 UTC) the engines’ gas cutoff switches for one engine transitioned from CUTOFF (*171*) RUN, resuming gas supply. Four seconds later the identical occurred for the opposite engine. Engine 1 “started to progress to recover” with the opposite re-introducing gas (*171*) obtain the identical. However, by then it was too late. Nine seconds later (08:09:05), pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”. “The air traffic controller (responded).. did not get any response… observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary, activated the emergency response. At 08:14:44 UTC, crash fire tender left the airport premises for rescue and firefighting.”“After takeoff, the aircraft impacted the BJ Medical College hostel which is 0.9 nautical miles (1.6 km) from the departure end of runway… As the aircraft was losing altitude, it initially made contact with a series of trees and an incineration chimney inside the Army Medical Corps compound before” crashing on the hostel.The AAIB report says “scrutiny of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB (the ill-fated Dreamliner) in 2019 and 2023. However, the reason for the replacement was not linked to the fuel control switch. There has been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB.”(*29*)Why did the gas cutoff swap transition from “run” (*171*) “cutoff” for each the engines on June 12 on the Dreamliner could also be identified as soon as the continuing probe is full.Without linking it (*171*) the trigger, the report says US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had in Dec 2018 issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) “regarding the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature. This SAIB was issued based on reports from operators of Model 737 airplanes that fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged. The airworthiness concern was not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) by the FAA. The fuel control switch design, including the locking feature, is similar on various Boeing airplane models including part number 4TL837-3D which is fitted in B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB. As per the information from Air India, the suggested inspections were not carried out as the SAIB was advisory and not mandatory. The scrutiny of maintenance records revealed that the throttle control module was replaced on VT-ANB in 2019 and 2023.”Seconds (*171*) catastrophe (all occasions in IST): What occurred?

Air India acknowledges reportSoon after the discharge of the report, Air India issued a press release acknowledging the report. “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. We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025.“Further assuring their cooperation with the investigation, it added, “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.”