Cockpit Audio Deepens Mystery of Air India Flight 171 Crash

Investigations into June's tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, a 12‑year‑old Boeing 787 Dreamliner, have uncovered a startling anomaly: both engines lost power just seconds after take-off, traced back to a sudden switch to the “fuel‑control cut‑off” position an action normally only taken after landing.

The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot questioning the other about who moved the switches, and the response, “I didn’t,” underscored confusion during the critical moments. The co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain monitored.

Although the switches were quickly returned to normal allowing engine relight attempts only one engine could regain thrust before the plane plummeted. The aircraft was airborne for under 40 seconds and reached an altitude of approximately 625 feet before crashing into a residential area of Ahmedabad. All 260 people aboard were killed. 

Switch guards and lever-lock mechanisms, designed to make accidental activation highly unlikely, are under scrutiny. With both switches activated simultaneously, investigators are grappling with whether this was a mechanical glitch, human error, or something else entirely. Additional technical analysis, including scrutinizing the wreckage and flight data recorders, will be crucial to unravel the cause.