Expert Debunks Air India Crash Theory: Fuel Switches Not Deliberately Flipped
Aviation expert challenges claims of pilot error in the June 12 Air India Flight 171 crash, citing mathematical improbability.
The preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171 crash, which killed 260 people, has sparked controversy over the cause of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engine failure. The report revealed that the fuel cutoff switches for both engines moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” within a one-second gap at 08:08:42 UTC, just seconds after the plane reached 180 knots. This led to speculation in some Western media that a pilot deliberately turned off the fuel, causing the crash. However, aviation expert Captain Eshan Khalid has dismissed this theory as mathematically implausible.
Captain Khalid argued that the timeline of events undermines the deliberate action narrative. “At 08:08:42 UTC, both fuel switches transitioned to CUTOFF within one second—500 milliseconds per switch. That’s an extraordinary speed for deliberate action,” he said. The report notes one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” with the other responding, “I didn’t.” Yet, the switches were moved back to “RUN” at 08:08:52 for Engine 1 and 08:08:56 for Engine 2—a 10-second and 14-second delay, respectively.
Khalid questioned why a pilot aware of the crisis would wait so long to restore fuel if the initial cutoff was intentional. “In a life-or-death situation, the response would be near-instantaneous, not four seconds apart,” he added.
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Khalid proposes an alternative: an electrical or software glitch may have triggered the switches’ transition to CUTOFF without pilot input. He suggests the pilots’ actions to restore the switches to “RUN” were attempts to recover the engines, which partially relit but too late to prevent the crash into a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad, 32 seconds after takeoff. The sole survivor was a passenger seated near an emergency exit.
The AAIB report found no mechanical or maintenance faults, and Air India’s CEO confirmed all required maintenance was completed. India’s aviation regulator has since ordered inspections of fuel switch locking mechanisms on Boeing aircraft. The investigation, supported by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, continues, with a final report expected within a year.
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