India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has said there is no immediate need for action from Boeing or engine maker GE, following the devastating Air India crash that killed over 270 people in Ahmedabad last month.
In its preliminary report released on Saturday, the AAIB said, “At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to Boeing 787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers.”
The June 12 crash, involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, is the first-ever total hull loss of a 787 aircraft and the worst global aviation disaster in over a decade.
What the report says
Initial findings show that fuel cutoff switches for both engines moved from RUN to CUTOFF in quick succession, just seconds after takeoff. This sequence caused the aircraft to lose power mid-air, leading to a crash 32 seconds after liftoff.
However, the AAIB has not directly attributed the crash to this switch movement. Investigators say more analysis is needed to determine whether this was a result of system malfunction, inadvertent action, or design flaw.
A tragic first for Boeing’s Dreamliner program
The Air India jet, a Boeing 787-8 with 241 people onboard, crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after departing Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
- Only one passenger survived.
- Nineteen people on the ground, including medical students, also lost their lives.
- The aircraft was completely destroyed, marking the first 'hull loss' in the Dreamliner’s 14-year operational history.
The 787 is one of Boeing’s best-selling wide-body aircraft, operating thousands of flights daily worldwide.
What happens now?
The AAIB, which reports to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is leading the probe with help from:
- US-based NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)
- Boeing and GE (General Electric)
- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Technical teams are examining flight data, cockpit audio, and hardware components to understand whether a cockpit control flaw, technical defect, or procedural error played a role.
A final report will be published after all aspects, human, technical, and environmental, are fully analysed.
Why this still matters
While no urgent safety changes have been ordered, this crash has triggered global scrutiny of the Boeing 787’s design, especially the fuel switch mechanism and its locking system.
A prior FAA advisory had warned operators about a potential issue with the switch design, one that Air India did not inspect, as the advisory was not mandatory.
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