Air India Crash: What the Report Reveals on Flight’s Final Moments

Air India Crash: What the Report Reveals About the Tragedy

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has released a preliminary report detailing the catastrophic crash of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The document, emerging after weeks of criticism over delays and perceived mishandling of the investigation, offers the first official insights into the tragedy that claimed lives and left an entire nation in shock. Based on evidence collected thus far, including wreckage analysis and flight data, the report provides initial findings, though the AAIB cautions that these are subject to change as the investigation progresses.

On the morning of June 12, 2025, the Air India flight, carrying 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew members, and two pilots, took off from Ahmedabad’s airport, only to crash moments later. The aircraft collided with five buildings, resulting in its complete destruction and sparking fires that caused extensive structural damage to the impacted structures. While the preliminary report marks a critical step toward understanding the cause of the Air India crash, it reveals the complexity of the task ahead, as investigators continue to analyse evidence to deliver a detailed account of the events that led to one of India’s most devastating aviation incidents.

Catastrophic Engine Failure Triggers Crash

The Air India crash report provides a chilling account of how a critical systems failure led to the tragic accident involving the B787-8. According to the report, the flight, with the co-pilot as Pilot Flying and the Pilot in Command as Pilot Monitoring, took off from Ahmedabad with 54,200 kg of fuel and a takeoff weight of 213,401 kg, well within the maximum allowable limit. The aircraft received takeoff clearance at 08:07:33 UTC and began its roll four seconds later.

It achieved liftoff at 08:08:39 UTC after reaching the necessary speeds of 153 knots (V1) and 155 knots (Vr). However, just three seconds after hitting a peak airspeed of 180 knots at 08:08:42 UTC, both engines’ fuel cutoff switches inexplicably moved to the CUTOFF position within a one-second interval, starving the engines of fuel. The report highlights a moment of confusion captured in the cockpit voice recording, where one pilot questioned the other about the cutoff, only to receive a denial, suggesting neither intentionally triggered the shutdown.

Desperate Attempts to Regain Control

As the aircraft began to lose power, the report details the automatic responses and the crew’s efforts to recover from the crisis. With both engines effectively shut down, the Ram Air Turbine deployed to provide emergency power, as confirmed by airport CCTV footage, which also showed no significant bird activity that could have contributed to the incident.

By 08:08:52 UTC, the Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch was moved back to RUN, followed by Engine 2 four seconds later. The engines’ control systems initiated a relight sequence, with Engine 1 showing signs of recovery as its core speed stabilised and began to increase. Engine 2, however, struggled, repeatedly attempting to reintroduce fuel to regain thrust. The Auxiliary Power Unit also began an auto-start to support the aircraft’s systems. Despite these efforts, the aircraft, now losing altitude rapidly, crossed the airport perimeter wall. The report notes that the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder ceased at 08:09:11 UTC, marking the imminent crash.

Final Moments and Emergency Response

In the fleeting moments before impact, the report describes a desperate call for help. At 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots broadcast a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” distress signal. Air traffic control sought the aircraft’s call sign but received no reply, observing instead the devastating crash just beyond the airport boundary.

The controller promptly activated emergency protocols. By 08:14:44 UTC, Crash Fire Tenders departed the airport for rescue and firefighting operations, joined by local administration’s Fire and Rescue services. The report reveals the rapid onset of the crisis, from the unexplained fuel cutoff to the failure to fully recover engine power, which left the crew with mere seconds to avert disaster, culminating in the tragic loss of lives and the widespread destruction on the ground.

Manner of the Crash: Initial Impact and Fragmentation

The Air India crash report details a catastrophic sequence of events as the B787-8 aircraft lost altitude after its engines lost power. According to the report, the aircraft first struck a series of trees and an incineration chimney within the Army Medical Corps compound before slamming into the northeast wall of a building. The distance between the initial tree contact and the building impact was approximately 293 feet. 

The aircraft, in a nose-up attitude of about 8 degrees with wings level, began to disintegrate upon impact. The report notes that the vertical stabiliser separated from the aft fuselage, landing 200 feet south of the initial building contact, while the tail section and right main landing gear became embedded in the building's northeast wall. As the aircraft continued its destructive path, it fragmented further, colliding with additional structures and vegetation, leaving a trail of debris across the site.

Flight Recorders: Capturing the Final Moments

The Air India crash report provides insight into the critical role of the aircraft’s Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs), which captured vital data and audio from the doomed B787-8. According to the report, the aircraft was equipped with two EAFRs, one located in the tail section and the other in the forward section, both designed to record digital flight data and cockpit voice information on a single device. The forward EAFR was uniquely equipped with a Recorder Independent Power Supply (RIPS), allowing it to continue recording even if the aircraft’s main power failed, capturing data from the Cockpit Area Microphone and available flight metrics.

The report notes that both recorders were recovered, though not without significant damage. The aft EAFR, found on the rooftop of a building suffered impact and thermal damage, with burnt connectors and protruding wires, while the forward EAFR, located amid debris near a building was charred, covered in soot, and partially melted but still attached to its equipment shelf.

Recovery and Data Retrieval Efforts

The report details the process of retrieving data from the damaged EAFRs. Both recorders were transported to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) facility in New Delhi on June 24, 2025. To extract data, the AAIB sourced a “Golden Chassis” (an identical EAFR unit) and download cables from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the USA. The forward EAFR’s Crash Protected Module (CPM) was found intact, allowing investigators to successfully download approximately 49 hours of flight data, covering six flights, including the crash, along with two hours of audio that captured the event.

Initial analysis of this data has begun, providing critical insights into the flight’s final moments. However, the aft EAFR was too severely damaged to yield data through standard methods, and inspection of its memory card revealed extensive destruction, rendering it unusable. The report highlights the forward EAFR’s data as a cornerstone of the ongoing investigation, offering hope for answers despite the tragedy’s devastating toll.

The Air India crash report provides details on the maintenance history of the B787-8 aircraft. According to the report, the left-hand engine was installed on May 1, 2025, and the right-hand engine on March 26, 2025. The aircraft’s last major line maintenance was completed at 38,504 hours and 7,255 cycles, with the next major check scheduled for December 2025. 

Despite the preliminary report’s findings, several critical questions remain unresolved, fueling speculation and concern. The mystery surrounding the movement of the fuel control switches to the CUTOFF position remains unanswered, with no clarity on whether this was due to pilot action, a mechanical fault, or an external factor like sabotage. The lack of reported defects in the switches since 2023 raises questions about maintenance oversight or latent design issues, especially in light of a 2018 FAA bulletin that noted potential disengagement of locking features in similar Boeing models. Ongoing debates about the crash’s preventability continue, as families and analysts seek answers on why the aircraft’s redundant systems failed to avert disaster. All eyes are now on the final report, with expectations that it will at least provide answers to the unresolved questions and offer clarity on the crash’s cause.

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