260 Deaths in Air India Crash: Pilots Not Responsible?

The Federation of Indian Pilots has raised fresh concerns regarding the cause of the deadly Air India AI171 crash. The pilots’ body has suggested that a possible electrical fault before take-off may have triggered the accident. It has also urged the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to examine this angle during the ongoing investigation.

The incident involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, 2025. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off, resulting in the deaths of 260 people. The tragedy remains one of the most serious aviation incidents in recent years.

According to the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on July 12, 2025, fuel supply to both engines was cut off within seconds after take-off. The report also mentioned confusion inside the cockpit, with one pilot questioning the other regarding the engine shutdown. The response reportedly indicated that neither pilot had intentionally activated the fuel cut-off.

While the final report is still awaited, concerns have emerged regarding the aircraft’s electrical systems and the functioning of its fuel control switches. In a letter dated May 1 to the civil aviation ministry, the Federation of Indian Pilots proposed that a “pre-lift-off electrical disturbance” may have unintentionally triggered relay mechanisms inside the aircraft.

According to the pilots’ body, this disturbance could have caused both engines to shut down simultaneously without pilot input. To support its argument, the organisation reportedly referred to lithium-ion battery failures, abnormal relay behaviour during voltage fluctuations, and certain aspects of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner electrical design.

The Federation of Indian Pilots has recommended that this possibility should be treated as a testable hypothesis. It also called for detailed technical analysis involving institutions such as IIT Bombay, Aeronautical Development Agency, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.

The pilots’ association has additionally repeated its earlier request for simulator tests on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to verify the timing details mentioned in the preliminary report. The organisation believes such testing could provide more clarity regarding the sequence of events before the crash.

Meanwhile, the matter has already attracted attention at the highest levels. In September 2025, the Supreme Court of India reportedly criticised selective reporting of the preliminary findings, stating that it contributed to a media narrative blaming the pilots.

Separately, in August 2025, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in the crash, called for a formal investigation by the central government. With the final report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau still pending, the Federation of Indian Pilots has stressed that technical causes cannot be ruled out until a complete analysis is conducted.