New Analysis and No Human Drag: Black Box Captures Air India 171 Pilots Arguing Over Fuel Switch Just Before Engine Cut — Sound That’s Chilling to Listen to
The crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12, 2025, which killed 260 people, has taken a chilling turn with new analysis of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s black box data. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captures a heated exchange between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, revealing confusion and panic over the movement of fuel control switches just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India. The preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released on July 12, 2025, confirms both switches moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” one second apart, starving the engines of fuel and causing a catastrophic loss of thrust. The audio, described as harrowing by investigators, deepens the mystery of the crash, with no evidence of human drag or external interference. This article explores the black box findings, the shocking implications, and comparisons to other aviation tragedies, including the recent London Southend Airport crash.
The Crash and Black Box Revelations
Air India Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:38 IST (08:08 UTC) on June 12, 2025, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. At 13:38:42, as the aircraft reached 180 knots and 625 feet, both fuel control switches moved to “CUTOFF,” causing immediate engine shutdown. The CVR, recovered and analyzed by the AAIB, captures a frantic moment: one pilot, believed to be Captain Sabharwal (56, with 15,638 flight hours), asks, “Why did you cut off?” First Officer Kunder (32, with 3,400 hours) responds, “I didn’t do it!” The exchange, reported by BBC News on July 12, 2025, lasts mere seconds before a “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY” call at 13:39:05. The plane crashed 32 seconds after takeoff into a medical college dining hall, killing all but one passenger, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, and 19 people on the ground.
The black box data, including 49 hours of flight data and two hours of cockpit audio, shows the switches were flipped back to “RUN” at 13:38:52 (Engine 1) and 13:38:56 (Engine 2), triggering an automatic relight. Engine 1 began regaining thrust, but Engine 2’s core speed continued to fall, per the AAIB report. The aircraft, equipped with General Electric GEnx-1B engines, struck trees and an incineration chimney before impacting, with no evidence of human drag (external interference like sabotage) or mechanical failure in the engines. The chilling audio, described by aviation expert John Nance to The Guardian as “a moment of raw confusion,” underscores the pilots’ shock, ruling out deliberate intent.
Shocking Implications and Unanswered Questions
The fuel switch movement is baffling due to the Boeing 787’s design. The switches, located between the pilots’ seats behind the throttle levers, are guarded by metal brackets and a stop-lock mechanism requiring deliberate lifting, making accidental activation “extremely rare,” per CNN analyst David Soucie. A 2018 FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin noted some Boeing 737 switches had disengaged locking features, a design shared with the 787, but Air India did not inspect its fleet as the advisory was not mandatory. This oversight, reported by NPR on July 12, 2025, raises questions about whether a latent defect contributed, though no mechanical fault was found.
The pilots’ argument suggests neither intended to cut the fuel, yet the switches moved within one second, per The Air Current. Aviation safety expert Peter Goelz, a former NTSB director, called the finding “disturbing,” noting the CVR’s full context—yet to be fully analyzed—may reveal whether the flying pilot (Kunder) or monitoring pilot (Sabharwal) attempted the restart. The absence of human drag, confirmed by no sabotage evidence and clean fuel samples, points to a possible human error or undetected system glitch. A post on X by @BDUTT on July 12, 2025, highlighted the pilots’ denial, amplifying public intrigue.
Comparison to London Southend Crash
The Air India crash shares unsettling parallels with the July 13, 2025, London Southend Airport crash of a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, which killed four crew members. The AAIB’s preliminary findings, reported by The Independent, reveal the aircraft executed a fatal 90° left bank at 175 feet, inverting and crashing within seconds of takeoff. Like Flight 171, the Southend crash involved a sudden, catastrophic maneuver with no clear mechanical cause, though pilot incapacitation or control system failure is under investigation. Both incidents highlight low-altitude failures, with the B200’s bank and Flight 171’s fuel cutoff occurring within three to four seconds of takeoff, leaving no recovery time. The Southend crash’s rapid bank mirrors Flight 171’s abrupt power loss, raising concerns about rare, high-stakes failures in modern aircraft.
Investigation and Industry Impact
The AAIB, with support from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing, is testing fuel samples and analyzing wreckage, with a final report expected in 2026. The 787’s clean maintenance history and the pilots’ fitness—confirmed by breathalyzer tests and adequate rest—rule out obvious negligence. However, the 2018 FAA advisory, ignored by Air India, has drawn scrutiny, with Reuters reporting increased oversight of the airline’s 787 fleet. The crash, India’s deadliest in nearly three decades, has intensified calls for transparency, with families like Naresh Maheswari, who lost his son, demanding accountability.
The audio’s chilling nature, capturing the pilots’ final moments, has shocked the aviation community. Unlike Diogo Jota’s car crash, where a broken promise and a tyre blowout were clear factors, Flight 171’s cause remains elusive, with no human drag but a haunting question: how did the switches move? The tragedy, alongside the Southend crash, underscores the fragility of flight and the need for rigorous safety protocols.
