A pilots' association has voiced serious concern over the preliminary findings related to the tragic Air India AI 171 crash, which appear to place blame on the cockpit crew. This reaction comes amid fresh revelations by The Wall Street Journal, which, citing cockpit voice recordings and US officials, reported that the aircraft’s captain turned off the fuel control switches, effectively cutting off fuel to the engines just moments after takeoff.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, based on black box data, the captain of the ill-fated flight, 56-year-old Sumeet Sabharwal—who had logged 15,638 hours of flight experience—allegedly moved the fuel control switches from the “run” position to “cutoff.” The report describes a brief exchange in the cockpit where the first officer, 32-year-old Clive Kunder, who had 3,403 hours of flying experience, immediately questioned the captain's actions. As per the report, Kunder appeared panicked while the captain remained calm.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel building in Ahmedabad just seconds after takeoff, resulting in the death of all 260 people onboard—comprising 241 passengers and crew—and 19 people on the ground. It remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history. The Wall Street Journal report, which places responsibility on the senior pilot, has added to the controversy and prompted pushback from Indian pilots’ unions. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) criticised how the early investigation findings were being interpreted and made public. In a statement, the FIP expressed discontent over the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation process and warned against drawing premature conclusions.
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“At the outset, we would like to register our dissatisfaction with the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation process... Assigning blame before a thorough, transparent, and data-driven investigation is both premature and irresponsible,” the FIP stated. The Air Line Pilots’ Association – India (ALPA India) also issued a statement defending the flight crew, asserting that the crew made every possible effort to save the lives of those on board. “The crew of AI 171 made every possible effort—till their very last breath—to protect the passengers on board and minimise harm on the ground,” it said, urging the public and media not to pass judgment based on incomplete information.
According to the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), both fuel control switches flipped from “run” to “cutoff” within seconds of takeoff. These switches are critical as they regulate the flow of fuel into the aircraft’s engines. While the report confirms the movement of the switches, it does not explicitly state whether the action was taken manually by either pilot.
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The report does note an exchange between the pilots, where one asked the other why the fuel supply was cut off. The reply indicated that the action wasn’t intentional, though the full transcript of the cockpit conversation has not been made public. This lack of transparency has fueled speculation and debate across social media and within aviation circles. Aviation experts have noted that accidental movement of both fuel control switches is highly unlikely, and on Wednesday, Air India announced that inspections of the locking mechanisms of similar switches across its Boeing 787 fleet revealed no technical issues.
Adding another layer to the investigation, a report by The Indian Express revealed that authorities are also probing whether a malfunction in the aircraft’s electrical or software systems could have triggered the automatic transition of the switches to “cutoff” mode, independent of pilot input. The Indian government has since clarified that the current findings are only part of a preliminary assessment. Officials have urged the media and public to withhold judgment until the final investigation report is released—an outcome that may take up to a year to complete.
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