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Report: Air India Flight 171 Crash ‘Intentional,’ Fuel Switches Cut by Pilot

Italian media cites investigators claiming no mechanical failure in 2025 Ahmedabad crash that killed 260 people.

  • Publish date: since 19 hour Reading time: two min read
Report: Air India Flight 171 Crash ‘Intentional,’ Fuel Switches Cut by Pilot

A new report has reignited controversy around the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, claiming the disaster was not caused by a technical fault — but was an intentional act by the pilot in command.

The flight went down on June 12, 2025, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The aircraft crashed into a student hostel, killing 260 people — 241 of the 242 onboard and 19 on the ground.

Fuel Switches ‘Deliberately’ Turned Off

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, investigators believe the plane’s fuel switches were manually turned off — an act described as “almost certainly intentional.”

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The report cited Western aviation agency sources who allegedly agreed that the crash was not due to mechanical failure, but a deliberate action. Black box data reportedly showed manual movement of engine ignition and shutdown switches. Both engines were found to have been switched off at the time of impact.

Preliminary Findings Raised Questions

Earlier preliminary findings from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) mentioned a cockpit exchange in which one pilot asked the other why the fuel had been cut. The response: “I did not do so.”

The Italian report also claimed that the pilot in command, Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, had been suffering from depression a month before the crash — a claim strongly rejected by his family.

India’s civil aviation ministry and the AAIB have not officially commented on the latest report.

Legal and Political Fallout

Similar allegations in past months sparked protests from pilot associations in India, who pushed back against early suggestions of blame.

Meanwhile, separate reports claim Air India has offered financial settlements to victims’ families on the condition that they waive legal action against the airline and the aircraft manufacturer.

The final investigation findings are still pending, and officials have yet to confirm whether the conclusions cited by the Italian newspaper will appear in the official report.

For now, the case remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent Indian history — and the questions surrounding it are far from settled.

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