‘Why did you cutoff’: Cockpit recording reveals what Air India pilots said before the flight crashed

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) shared its first report on the Air India Flight 171 crash just after midnight on Saturday. The report includes a chilling recording from the cockpit, where one pilot suddenly realizes that fuel to both engines had been cut off during takeoff. He questions the other pilot, who replies that he didn’t do it.

This early report comes one month after the terrible crash, which killed 260 people—241 on board and 19 on the ground. It was the worst air crash India has seen in many years. Miraculously, one person survived.

The 15-page report gives us the first clear look into what happened in the final moments of the flight. It also raises new questions about why both engines lost fuel at the same time.

At one point in the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard saying, “Why did you cutoff?” The other responds, “I did not do so.” This exchange shows that the fuel supply was turned off, but no one in the cockpit claims to have done it.

Investigators believe this sudden cutoff may be a crucial clue in figuring out what led to the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on June 12.

Key moments before the crash revealed

The investigation report has laid out an exact timeline of what happened just before the crash. At 08:08:42 UTC, the plane hit its top speed of 180 knots. Just one second apart, both engine fuel switches were turned off—one after the other—cutting fuel to the engines.

The pilots quickly realized something was wrong and tried to fix it. Ten seconds later, at 08:08:52, they turned the fuel switch for Engine 1 back on. Four seconds after that, they did the same for Engine 2. This triggered the engines to try and restart. Engine 1 began to show signs of coming back, but the aircraft didn’t have enough time or altitude for a full recovery.

At 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots made a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call. The Air Traffic Controller asked for the aircraft’s call sign but received no response. The aircraft crashed outside the airport boundary. The final recording from the flight data system stopped at 08:09:11 UTC.

An emergency backup device called the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was activated during the incident. It was even caught on airport security cameras, confirming that both engines had completely failed.

According to the report, when the fuel switches are moved back to “RUN” during flight, each engine’s control system called FADEC automatically tries to restart by turning on ignition and reintroducing fuel.

Other important findings from the report

• Flaps were set correctly for takeoff, positioned at 5 degrees as required.
• Landing gear lever was still in the “DOWN” position, meaning the wheels had not been retracted after takeoff.
• Thrust levers were found near idle, but flight data showed that they had stayed pushed forward until the plane crashed, suggesting a sudden power loss rather than pilot error.
• Weather conditions were clear, with only light winds at the time of the accident.
• The aircraft’s weight was within safe, normal limits for takeoff.
• There was no sign of a bird strike or any outside object affecting the engines.

The aircraft was being flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a senior pilot and Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 flying hours to his name.

According to the report, both pilots were medically fit, well-rested, and had sufficient flying experience. There were no concerns raised about their health, performance, or preparedness at the time of the flight.

Is this the final report?

This report is just the first step in the investigation. It shares the early findings, but the information could change as the investigation continues.

Air crash investigations are often very complex and take a lot of time. It can take months or even years to fully understand what really caused the accident.

The final report from the AAIB is expected to be ready within a year of the crash. Until then, more facts may come to light as the team looks deeper into what happened.

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