Air India AI 171 Flight Crash: No Fault Found in Aircraft’s Fuel Control Switch, Government Tells Parliament

WITH JUST A COUPLE MONTHS PENDING in release of the final report that would reveal the reason behind the tragic crash of the Air India AI 171 Flight that happened on June 12, 2025, the Centre has given another update regarding the investigation. As the probe enters into its final stage, the Centre has informed the parliament that no fault was found in the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft’s fuel control switch or in its locking mechanism. 

On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, as the Parliament’s monsoon session was underway, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in the Rajya Sabha that advanced tests conducted by aircraft manufacturer Boeing found the fuel control switch to be functioning normally. The fuel control switch was examined at the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level in Seattle, United States, as part of continued airworthiness checks ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 

The AI 171 flight was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft that crashed 32 seconds after its takeoff from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad airport. The tragic incident happened on June 12, 2025, claiming 260 lives. 

See also: The Great Aviation Disaster Cover-Up? One Year After the Air India Plane Crash, Victims' Families Are Still Searching for Answers

What the Centre Said About the AI 171 flight Crash Report

Congress MP Jebi Mather Hisham raised questions in the Upper House about the government's delay in publishing the final report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), the attached office of the DGCA tasked with investigating the reason behind the AI 171 flight crash. In response, Mohol remarked that “no abnormalities” were found in the “structural integrity” of the fuel control switch. However, the investigation into the aircraft’s complete Thrust Control Module is still underway at the Boeing’s facility in Seattle. Mohol said the findings from that inspection are still awaited. 

MP Mather also raised queries about the government's delay in the release of the AAIB crash report, asking whether pilot conduct was among the factors under scrutiny and whether a concrete public release date could be announced. Mohol maintained the centre’s stance and stated that there is no delay in the release of the report. The minister further said that investigation into major accidents, such as the Air India 171 fight crash, are dependent on several factors and as such a concrete release date cannot be determined.

Mohol said that once the investigation is complete, the final report will be publicly accessible and would be published on the AAIB’s website.

AI 171 Flight Crash : Why is the Fuel Control Switch a Major Point of Discussion?

A few weeks after the AI 171 flight crash, the AAIB released a preliminary report of its findings. The report found that the aircraft's fuel control switch was abruptly moved from RUN to CUTOFF a few seconds after takeoff. This prevented fuel flow to the engines and caused their shutdown.

See also: One Year After Air India AI-171 Crash: 72 hours of chaos, weeks of DNA identification work

Cockpit voice recording of the aircraft detailed a brief exchange between the airplane’s two pilots, First Officer Clive Kunder and Pilot-in-Command Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. One of the pilots — unclear whether it was Kunder or Sabharwal — asked the other why he moved the fuel control switch, to which the other replied “I did not.” This revelation raised doubts about whether the plane crash happened due to technical difficulties or due to human error.

Mohol said the investigation remains under way and that all possible causes and contributing factors are being examined. “All probable causes and contributing factors leading to the accident are being investigated,” Mohol said in the Parliament.

Final AAIB Report Expected in October 2026

This update comes weeks after the AAIB, in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, stated that its investigation into assessing the reason behind the AI 171 flight crash is "expected to be completed within six weeks.” The AAIB also stated that the final draft report will be ready by October 2026.

(Proofread by Anshika Verma)

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