An Australian aviation expert has claimed that the captain of Air India Flight 171 intentionally switched off the plane’s fuel control switches, leading to the fatal crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 passengers and crew bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a residential area moments after takeoff, killing 260 people—including 19 on the ground—with a sole survivor, British-Indian passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Preliminary investigation reports revealed the fuel control switches were turned off just three seconds after takeoff, causing both engines to lose thrust.
Although they were switched back on briefly and one engine regained power, the plane ultimately crashed. Black box data indicated that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot-in-command, had physically placed the switches into the “cut-off” position.
Audio recordings from the cockpit captured a tense exchange between Sabharwal and first officer Clive Kunder, who was flying the aircraft and questioned the sudden power cutoff.
Captain Byron Bailey, speaking to Sky News Australia, asserted that the fuel cutoff could not have been accidental. He explained that the mechanical switches require deliberate physical action, which the first officer, busy controlling the plane, could not have done. The aviation expert concluded that the crash was likely a case of suicide by the captain.
The official report, however, did not explain how the switches were moved to the cutoff position.
Further investigations revealed that Captain Sabharwal had a history of mental health challenges, including depression and medical leave in recent years. Authorities are reviewing his medical records as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Aviation experts are calling for cockpit video recording systems to aid future investigations and enhance flight safety.
Air India expressed deep condolences for the victims and pledged full cooperation with investigative authorities.
The tragedy marks the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and remains under thorough investigation as authorities seek to understand the full circumstances behind one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India’s recent history.
