Air India 171 pilot ‘intentionally shut fuel switches’: Italian report’s claim on final probe finding
An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, has reported that Indian investigators’ final probe into the Air India Flight 171 crash points to an intentional act by one pilot in shutting off the fuel switches. This claim emerges as the official report remains unreleased.
Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 from Ahmedabad to London, crashed on June 12, 2025, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 people with only one survivor. The plane struck a medical students’ hostel on the ground.
Corriere della Sera cited western aviation agencies stating no technical defects caused the dual engine shutdown; instead, a pilot moved both fuel control switches from “RUN” to “CUTOFF.” Enhanced cockpit voice recorder analysis identified the responsible pilot, described as a “breakthrough” by US experts. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot-in-command who had depression, is the main suspect per the report.
India’s AAIB preliminary report in July 2025 noted the switches were flipped seconds after takeoff, capturing cockpit exchange: one pilot asking “Why did you turn off the engines?” and the other denying it. No intent was concluded then.
Indian authorities (AAIB, DGCA, Civil Aviation Ministry) have not commented, and the final report awaits “political evaluation,” potentially softening conclusions to avoid controversy. Air India cooperates but offers no details.
