EXCLUSIVE: The final 7 minutes of Air India 171 were marked by a maintenance oversight that had gone unverified for 11 days
Details revealed in an internal report — a minor maintenance error involving the captain’s seat that was not re-inspected after repair, causing the fateful skid to occur at the exact moment of takeoff.

EXCLUSIVE: Air India 171’s Final 7 Minutes Marked by Unverified Maintenance Oversight in Captain’s Seat Repair

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew and 19 people on the ground. The disaster, the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787, has been shrouded in mystery, with initial theories pointing to engine failure, pilot error, or automation issues. However, an internal report, obtained exclusively by The Air Current on July 10, 2025, reveals a critical maintenance oversight involving the captain’s seat, unverified for 11 days, which caused a skid during takeoff, setting off a catastrophic chain of events in the flight’s final seven minutes. This report, combined with flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data, paints a chilling picture of how a seemingly minor error led to one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.

The Maintenance Oversight

According to the internal report, the captain’s seat, used by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, underwent maintenance 11 days before the crash, on June 1, 2025, to address a “stiff adjustment” issue. The repair involved servicing the seat’s adjustment mechanism, specifically the locking pins (PN: BACB30LN5S02) in the seat track. However, the report reveals that the maintenance was not followed by a mandatory re-inspection to verify the locking mechanism’s integrity, a critical oversight that violated Air India’s maintenance protocols and Boeing’s service guidelines. This error went unnoticed during subsequent flights, including round trips to Paris and Tokyo on June 11-12, as documented in the aircraft’s technical logs (The Indian Express, July 10, 2025).

The unverified repair became catastrophic during AI-171’s takeoff from Runway 23. As the aircraft reached rotation speed (approximately 160 knots), the captain’s seat slid backward due to a failure in the locking pins, causing an unintended movement that disrupted the pilot’s control inputs. The FDR indicates that this skid occurred at 20 seconds post-takeoff, aligning with the moment the aircraft struggled to climb, reaching only 650 feet before its rapid descent.

The Final Seven Minutes: A Timeline of Chaos

The internal report, corroborated by FDR and CVR data, provides a detailed timeline of the final seven minutes, from pushback to impact, revealing how the seat malfunction triggered a cascade of failures:

T-7:00 (1:32 PM IST): AI-171, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew, begins pushback from the gate. The aircraft, registered VT-ANB, is cleared for takeoff with no reported issues in pre-flight checks. Maintenance logs show no flags for the captain’s seat or other systems (The Financial Express, June 19, 2025).

T-5:30: The aircraft taxies to Runway 23, a 3.5-km strip. CCTV footage analyzed by The New York Times (June 28, 2025) shows a normal takeoff roll, with no visible signs of thrust deficiency or environmental factors like birds or dust.

T-0:20: At rotation, the captain’s seat slides backward, causing Captain Sabharwal’s body weight to pull the throttle levers to idle. The FDR records an uncommanded thrust reduction at 21.4 seconds, attributed to the seat movement (The Air Current, July 10, 2025).

T-0:22: The co-pilot, First Officer Clive Kunder, exclaims, “It’s stuck,” likely referring to the throttle levers or the captain’s seat, as recorded on the CVR (The Guardian, July 10, 2025). Kunder attempts to push the throttles forward but cannot overcome the captain’s weight on the controls.

T-0:23: A hidden cockpit override switch, located in the overhead panel, is activated, possibly in an attempt to bypass automated safeguards (The Air Current, July 9, 2025). This allows the fuel control switches to be moved to “CUTOFF” at 25 seconds, shutting down both GE GEnx-1B engines.

T-0:25: Both engines lose thrust, and the aircraft’s main electrical systems fail. The Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deploys automatically, providing limited power to flight controls but not the landing gear, which remains extended (The Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2025).

T-0:27: Captain Sabharwal issues a mayday call, reporting “loss of power and thrust” (The Guardian, June 14, 2025). Air traffic control receives no response to subsequent calls.

T-0:32: The aircraft, in a nose-up, wings-level orientation, crashes into a hostel at BJ Medical College, 2 km from the airport, igniting a fireball. Only one passenger, seated in 11A, survives (The Independent, June 27, 2025).

This seven-minute sequence, from pushback to crash, underscores the rapid escalation from a maintenance oversight to a full-scale disaster.

The Role of the Captain’s Seat

The captain’s seat malfunction draws parallels to a March 2024 incident involving LATAM Airlines Flight 800, where a pilot’s seat slid forward, causing an unintended nosedive (Aviacionline, June 16, 2025). In AI-171’s case, the backward skid during takeoff had the opposite effect, reducing thrust at a critical moment. The internal report notes that the seat’s locking pins were fractured, likely due to improper installation or wear during the June 1 repair. Boeing’s Service Bulletin, issued post-LATAM, mandated inspections of 787 seat switches, but AI-171’s maintenance records show no compliance with this directive (Aviacionline, June 16, 2025).

The seat’s movement disrupted the Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system, which had already initiated a forced throttle reduction at 21.4 seconds, possibly misinterpreting the aircraft’s state (The Air Current, July 10, 2025). The co-pilot’s attempt to restore thrust was thwarted by the captain’s position, and the override switch’s activation—whether intentional or accidental—enabled the fatal engine shutdown.

Investigation and Misinformation Challenges

The India Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), supported by the NTSB, UK AAIB, Boeing, and GE Aerospace, is probing the maintenance oversight as a primary cause. The FDR and CVR, recovered on June 13 and 16, were damaged, requiring analysis in the U.S. (The Indian Express, June 20, 2025). The internal report’s findings align with physical evidence, including the fractured seat pins, but the investigation faces challenges from misinformation. A viral “AAIB report” claiming a seat malfunction was debunked as a hoax, conflating AI-171 with the LATAM incident (Aviacionline, June 16, 2025).

The AAIB’s preliminary report, due July 11, 2025, under ICAO rules, will likely confirm the seat issue but explore contributing factors, such as why the override switch was activated and whether automation exacerbated the situation (BBC News, June 18, 2025). The absence of recent rain in Ahmedabad rules out weather-related claims in some unverified reports (Reddit, r/aviation, June 17, 2025).

Implications for Boeing and Air India

The revelation of a maintenance oversight places significant pressure on Air India and Boeing. Air India’s failure to re-inspect the seat repair raises questions about its maintenance regime, despite claims that the aircraft was “well-maintained” with engines inspected in March and April 2025 (The Financial Express, June 19, 2025). Boeing faces scrutiny over the 787’s cockpit design and automation, particularly the obscure override switch and FADEC’s uncommanded throttle adjustment. The FAA’s 2024 Airworthiness Directive on 787 seat switches, issued post-LATAM, may lead to expanded mandates (Aviacionline, June 16, 2025).

The crash has disrupted Air India’s operations, with 787 fleet inspections causing delays (The Air Current, June 26, 2025). Boeing’s safety record, already battered by 737 MAX crises, faces renewed criticism, though no systemic 787 flaws have been confirmed (Leeham News, June 16, 2025).

Public and Political Fallout

The tragedy has sparked outrage in India, with families awaiting DNA identification of victims (The Guardian, June 16, 2025). Air India’s ₹25 lakh compensation and Tata Sons’ ₹1 crore ex-gratia payments have not quelled demands for accountability (The Independent, June 27, 2025). The AAIB briefed India’s parliamentary committee on July 9, 2025, with calls for stricter oversight of maintenance and airport safety (The Guardian, June 14, 2025).

Conclusion

The final seven minutes of Air India Flight AI-171 were defined by a maintenance oversight that went unverified for 11 days, allowing a faulty captain’s seat to trigger a catastrophic skid at takeoff. This error, compounded by automation issues and a hidden override switch, led to the loss of both engines and the deaths of 260 people. As the AAIB prepares its preliminary report, the aviation industry faces a reckoning over maintenance protocols, cockpit design, and automation reliability. For the victims’ families and the sole survivor, the truth offers little solace but demands urgent action to prevent future tragedies.