Air India crash: Ex-Navy chief calls AAIB crash report ‘intriguing’, urges deeper probe

Flight data shows both fuel switches were flipped from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' in quick succession, causing immediate engine shutdown.

Former Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash has called for a deeper investigation into the June 12 deadly crash of Air India flight AI171 after the preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) revealed troubling cockpit events.

“The report is most intriguing,” he says, taking to microblogging site X on Saturday, referring to key data showing that both engine fuel shutoff valves were manually flipped off moments after takeoff, leading to a catastrophic loss of power.

Prelim report of AAIB into AI-171 crash most intriguing. Flight data recorder notes fuel shut off valves recycled (OFF-ON) one after the other & engines winding down. Voice recorder has one pilot asking other if he shut the fuel valves, but latter denies it! Deeper probe needed.

— Adm. Arun Prakash (@arunp2810) July 12, 2025

According to the AAIB crash report, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner lifted off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick but lost both engines just three seconds into the climb.

Flight data shows both fuel switches were flipped from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' in quick succession, causing immediate engine shutdown.

Further, a cockpit recording captures one pilot asking, “Why did you cutoff?”, to which the other responds, “I didn’t,” raising concerns of either cockpit error or mechanical fault.

Emergency systems like the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) were deployed, states the report, but attempts to relight the engines failed. Engine 1 showed brief signs of recovery, while Engine 2 did not restart.

CCTV footage corroborated total power loss, and the aircraft crashed less than a nautical mile from the runway into a medical college hostel, killing over 270 people.

The AAIB has ruled out weather, bird strikes, or fuel contamination.

Though a prior FAA advisory had warned of similar fuel switch anomalies in Boeing 787s, Air India had not acted on it. With no safety advisories issued yet, experts insist the crash demands urgent and thorough scrutiny.