Investigators examining the crash of Air India Flight 171 in Ahmedabad have concluded that the disaster, which claimed 260 lives, was likely caused by the deliberate cutting of fuel switches by the pilot in command.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff on 12 June 2025, killing 241 of the 242 people on board, as well as 19 people on the ground when the plane struck a medical student hostel.
According to a report published by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, unnamed Western aviation sources indicated that Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal allegedly turned off the fuel switches intentionally. Analysis of flight data and cockpit voice recordings reportedly ruled out mechanical failure, showing that both engines had been switched off before the crash.
The report noted that Capt. Sabharwal had been suffering from depression in the month prior to the disaster, although his father has denied claims regarding his son’s mental health and has requested a fresh investigation.
India’s civil aviation ministry and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) have not publicly commented on these latest findings. Earlier preliminary reports suggested that one pilot questioned the other in the cockpit about why the fuel had been cut, to which the response was reportedly, “I did not do so.”
The Italian paper also suggested that investigators may adapt the final report to avoid political controversy, and that Air India has offered financial settlements to victims’ families on the condition that no legal action be pursued against the airline or aircraft manufacturer.
