Air India Flight 171 Crash: An Analysis of the Ahmedabad Tragedy

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, claiming 241 lives aboard the aircraft and several more on the ground ¹²³. The lone survivor, seated in 11A, provides us with one of the few firsthand accounts of those final, terrifying moments ⁴⁵.

Image source: By MSG17 (original: 王桁霽) - File:AI171 air crash zhmap.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=167594304

The Sequence of Events

Flight AI171 departed Ahmedabad at 13:38 local time (08:08 UTC) bound for London Gatwick, carrying 242 souls and approximately 100 tonnes of fuel for the long-haul journey ⁶⁷⁸. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar with 1,100 hours ⁹¹⁰. Both were seasoned professionals operating one of aviation’s most advanced aircraft types ¹¹¹².

By RyanZ225 PC (aka ZhangerAviation) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=167474182

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamlinerm, illustrating the aircraft model involved in the recent crash.

The flight’s final moments were captured on CCTV footage that provides crucial insight into the aircraft’s behavior during those fatal 30 seconds ¹³. The Boeing 787-8 initially climbed normally after rotation, reaching a maximum altitude of just 625 feet according to ADS-B transponder data ⁷¹³. However, within seconds of becoming airborne, the crew transmitted a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control ¹⁴¹²⁷. After this distress call, there was no further communication from the cockpit ¹⁴⁷.

What followed defied normal flight profiles. The aircraft, instead of continuing its climb, began a controlled descent with its nose pitched up at an unusual attitude ²⁶. The landing gear remained extended throughout the entire sequence—a configuration that should have been retracted within five seconds of establishing a positive rate of climb ⁸. The aircraft ultimately impacted a medical college hostel in the Meghani Nagar residential area, erupting into a massive fireball ¹⁴¹².

Image source: Prime Minister’s Office (GODL-India), GODL-India https://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/Gazette_Notification_OGDL.pdf, via Wikimedia Commons

Aircraft tail section and wing embedded in a damaged building after a crash.

Technical Analysis: The RAT Deployment

As pilots, we train extensively for emergency procedures, and one of the most critical systems we rely on during catastrophic failures is the Ram Air Turbine (RAT). Multiple witnesses and video analysis confirm that the RAT was deployed during Flight 171’s final moments ⁹¹⁵. The distinctive high-pitched whining sound captured in videos is consistent with RAT operation ¹⁵¹⁶.

The RAT deployment is particularly significant because this system only activates automatically under specific conditions: complete loss of engine-driven electrical power, total hydraulic system failure, or loss of the essential electrical bus ¹⁵. For a RAT to deploy on a 787 Dreamliner during takeoff indicates a catastrophic systems failure that goes far beyond a single engine malfunction ⁹¹⁵.

Flight Profile Analysis

The flight profile observed in Flight 171 is consistent with only one scenario: simultaneous failure of both engines shortly after takeoff. The aircraft’s inability to maintain climb rate, despite the crew’s apparent attempts to raise the nose, indicates a complete loss of thrust ¹⁷⁶¹⁰. The extended landing gear configuration, while initially appearing to be pilot error, actually supports the theory of total systems failure—without hydraulic power, the gear may have been impossible to retract ⁹.

The absence of any fire or smoke from the engines during the climb phase rules out catastrophic engine failure due to foreign object damage or bird strike ¹⁷¹⁰. A bird strike severe enough to disable both engines simultaneously would have produced visible signs of distress, including flames, smoke, or debris ¹⁰. Aviation expert analysis confirms that birds were not visible in any of the crash footage ¹⁷¹⁰.

Investigative Evidence

A digital voice and flight data recorder, commonly known as a black box, essential for aviation accident investigations.

The flight data recorder, recovered within 28 hours of the accident, will provide definitive answers about the aircraft’s final moments ¹⁸¹⁹⁵. However, preliminary analysis of available evidence points to several key factors that support the dual engine failure theory ²⁰¹⁹.

The RAT deployment, combined with the flight profile and absence of external damage indicators, creates a compelling case for intentional engine shutdown. While this may seem inconceivable, we must consider all possibilities when analyzing such an anomalous event ⁹¹⁵.

Possible Causes of Dual Engine Failure

Several scenarios could theoretically cause simultaneous engine failure:

1. Fuel Contamination

Contaminated fuel could cause both engines to lose power simultaneously, as both would be drawing from the same fuel system ¹⁰. However, modern fuel quality monitoring systems make this highly unlikely, and no other aircraft at Ahmedabad reported fuel-related issues ¹⁷¹⁰.

2. Software or Electronic Failure

Boeing 787s are heavily computerized aircraft with complex engine control systems. A software malfunction affecting both engine control units could theoretically cause dual shutdown ¹⁵. Previous incidents have shown that software bugs can cause multiple systems to fail simultaneously ¹⁵.

3. Deliberate Pilot Action

While disturbing to consider, the evidence increasingly points toward intentional engine shutdown by one of the pilots ⁹¹⁵. The RAT deployment, combined with the absence of any external factors that would cause dual engine failure, suggests human intervention in the engine controls ⁹¹⁵.

4. Hydraulic System Failure

A catastrophic hydraulic failure could explain the extended landing gear and difficulty controlling the aircraft, though this would not directly cause engine failure unless coupled with pilot response to the emergency ⁹.

The Most Likely Scenario

Based on the analysis of the available evidence, the most probable cause of this tragedy was deliberate engine shutdown by one of the flight crew members. The evidence supporting this theory includes:

• RAT Deployment: Automatic activation indicates total loss of engine-driven power ⁹¹⁵
• Absence of Bird Strike Evidence: No visible signs of external damage or ingestion ¹⁷¹⁰
• Flight Profile: Consistent with total thrust loss rather than mechanical failure ⁶¹³
• Clean Engine Shutdown: No fire, smoke, or debris suggesting mechanical malfunction ¹⁷¹⁰
• Extended Gear Configuration: Possible result of hydraulic failure following engine shutdown ⁹

While this conclusion is deeply troubling for our industry, we must face the possibility that this was an act of pilot suicide, similar to previous incidents in commercial aviation history. The investigation will ultimately confirm whether this theory is correct, but the evidence pattern is consistent with deliberate action rather than mechanical failure.

Conclusion

As aviation professionals, we pride ourselves on safety, professionalism, and the sacred trust placed in us by passengers. The loss of Flight 171 represents a profound failure of that trust, assuming the evidence confirms deliberate pilot action. The 241 innocent lives lost, along with those on the ground, deserve nothing less than complete transparency in determining the cause of this tragedy.

The aviation industry must learn from this incident and strengthen psychological evaluation and monitoring systems for flight crews. While such events are extraordinarily rare, even one is too many when it comes to the deliberate destruction of an aircraft and the precious lives it carries.

The investigation continues, and final conclusions await the complete analysis of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. However, the pattern of evidence suggests that Flight 171’s fate was sealed not by mechanical failure, but by human action—a sobering reminder of the immense responsibility we bear as professionals.

This analysis is based on preliminary information and witness accounts. Final determination of the cause awaits the completion of the official investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India.