On June 12, 2025, Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 bound for London Gatwick, crashed into buildings in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people aboard and 19 people on the ground. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau reported that both engine fuel cutoff switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF seconds after liftoff. Its final report had not been published as of October 31, 2026.
The AAIB investigation is continuing and its website listed no final report as of October 31, 2026. The government told the Supreme Court in July 2026 that a draft final report would be filed in a sealed cover in October, and the next hearing was listed for October 13, 2026. No report of what happened at that hearing was found.
According to the AAIB preliminary report, the Boeing 787-8 VT-ANB touched down at Ahmedabad at 05:47 UTC (11:17 IST) as flight AI423 from Delhi and parked at bay 34. The report gives times in UTC, which is 5.5 hours behind Indian Standard Time.
The previous crew had logged a STAB POS XDCR status message. The AAIB said an Air India engineer carried out troubleshooting under the fault isolation manual and released the aircraft for flight at 06:40 UTC.
The AAIB said the aircraft left bay 34 at 07:48:38 UTC and taxied from 07:56:08 UTC toward runway 23, with 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew and 2 pilots aboard, bound for London Gatwick.
Takeoff clearance was issued at 08:07:33 UTC and the aircraft began rolling at 08:07:37 UTC, according to the report.
Flight recorder data showed the aircraft reached the decision speed V1 at 08:08:33 UTC and its air ground sensors moved to air mode, consistent with liftoff, at 08:08:39 UTC, the AAIB said.
The AAIB said the aircraft reached its maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately afterwards the engine 1 and engine 2 fuel cutoff switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF one after the other, one second apart. In the cockpit recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off, and the other replies that he did not.
Airport CCTV showed the ram air turbine deploying immediately after liftoff, and both engines fell below minimum idle, with the turbine's hydraulic pump supplying power at about 08:08:47 UTC, according to the report. It noted no significant bird activity near the flight path.
The AAIB said the engine 1 fuel switch moved back to RUN at about 08:08:52 UTC and engine 2 at 08:08:56 UTC. Engine 1 began to recover, while engine 2 relit but could not stop its core speed from falling.
One pilot transmitted MAYDAY at about 08:09:05 UTC, and the recorder stopped at 08:09:11 UTC, the report said. The aircraft struck trees, a chimney and then the BJ Medical College hostel about 0.9 nautical miles from the runway end, hitting five buildings. The AAIB recorded 241 of the 242 people aboard and 19 people on the ground killed, with one passenger seriously injured.
At 08:14:44 UTC a crash fire tender left the airport for rescue and firefighting and was joined by local fire services, according to the AAIB.
The aft enhanced airborne flight recorder was found on the roof of the first building struck, the AAIB said. Its ministry said AAIB constituted a multidisciplinary investigation team the same day, with NTSB representatives as the state of design and manufacture.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation directed Air India to carry out one time enhanced safety inspections of its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with GEnx engines, covering systems including fuel parameter monitoring, engine controls and hydraulics, before departures from June 15, the Free Press Journal reported. The Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed the direction on June 14.
A team led by the NTSB accredited representative, with advisers from Boeing, GE and the FAA, arrived on June 15 to take part in the investigation, according to the AAIB. Investigators from the UK AAIB also visited the site.
The forward recorder was located in debris beside one of the buildings on June 16, burnt and covered in soot but still attached to its shelf, the AAIB said.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said both recorders were flown to Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft on June 24 and that the forward unit's memory module was accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB lab on June 25. The AAIB said the aft unit was too damaged to download by conventional means.
The preliminary report set out the fuel switch movements and stated that, at that stage, there were no recommended actions for Boeing 787-8 or GEnx-1B operators and manufacturers. It noted Air India had not carried out inspections suggested in a 2018 FAA advisory on fuel switch locking, which was not mandatory.
Two days after the preliminary report, the DGCA ordered airlines operating Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft to check the locking feature of the fuel control switches, citing a 2018 FAA bulletin, and to complete the checks by July 21, All India Radio and ch-aviation reported.
The AAIB posted an appeal to the public and media regarding the VT-ANB accident on its website, dated July 17, 2025.
Families of four passengers filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court alleging that faulty fuel switches made by Honeywell caused the crash, Reuters reported. Boeing declined to comment, and Honeywell did not immediately respond.
On the first anniversary the AAIB said significant progress had been made and that the final report would be released after all investigative activities and the international review and consultation required under ICAO Annex 13. It urged the media and the public to avoid speculation.
In a counter affidavit before the Supreme Court, the AAIB said its investigation followed India's treaty obligations and that a draft final report was expected around October 2026, LiveLaw reported.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant decided to await the AAIB's final report before considering petitions for an independent inquiry, saying the plea was postponed rather than closed, The Wire reported. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the draft final report would be filed in a sealed cover, and the next hearing was set for October 13, Business Today reported.
Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said the investigation had reached its final stage and that the report was being finalised under ICAO Annex 13 protocols, IANS reported on September 2.
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Last updated 31 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.
