Air India plane crash report reveals dramatic timeline of final moments

Fuel control switches for the engines of an Air India flight that crashed last month were moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before impact, starving both engines of fuel, a preliminary investigation report said.

Confusion in cockpit

The report, issued by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, also indicated that both pilots were confused over the change to the switch setting, which caused a loss of engine thrust shortly after takeoff.

The Air India flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — crashed on June 12 and killed at least 260 people, including 19 on the ground, in Ahmedabad. Only one passenger survived the crash, which is one of India’s worst aviation disasters.

The plane was carrying 230 passengers — 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian — along with 12 crew members.

What does the report say?

According to the report, the flight lasted around 30 seconds between takeoff and crash. It said that once the aircraft achieved its top recorded speed, “the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another" within a second. The report did not say how the switches could have flipped to the cutoff position during the flight.

The switches were flipped back into the run position, the report said, but the plane could not gain power quickly enough to stop its descent after the aircraft had begun to lose altitude.

The report has also shared a timeline of how the events unfolded.

05:47 UTC (11:17 IST): On June 12, 2025, Air India’s B787-8 aircraft bearing registration VT-ANB arrives at Ahmedabad airport operating flight AI423 from Delhi. The aircraft touches down at 05:47 UTC and is parked at the bay 34.

06:25 UTC: The crew of flight AI171 arrives at the airport, undergoes preflight breath analyzer test, and is found fit to operate the flight.

0640 UTC: The crew of the previous flight (AI423) had made a pilot defect report (PDR) entry for status message “STAB POS XDCR” (an issue related to the stabilizer sensor) in the tech log. The troubleshooting is carried out and the aircraft is released for flight at 0640 UTC.

07:05 UTC: The crew is seen arriving at the boarding gate in the CCTV recording.

07:40 UTC: Scheduled departure time of the aircraft from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.

07:43:00 UTC: The aircraft requests pushback and startup.

07:43:13 UTC: ATC approves the pushback.

07:46:59 UTC: ATC approves the start up.

07:48:38 UTC: The aircraft is observed departing from bay 34.

07:49:12 UTC: ATC asks the pilots if the aircraft requires full length of the runway. The aircraft confirms requirement of full length of Runway 23.

07:55:15 UTC: The aircraft requests taxi clearance, which is granted by the ATC.

07:56:08 UTC: Aircraft taxies from the bay to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4

08:02:03 UTC: The aircraft is transferred from Ground to Tower Control.

08:03:45 UTC: The aircraft is instructed to line up on Runway 23.

08:07:33 UTC: The aircraft is cleared for take-off from Runway 23.

08:07:37 UTC: Aircraft starts rolling.

08:08:33 UTC: Aircraft crosses take-off decision speed V1 of 153 knots.

08:08:35 UTC: The Vr speed of 155 knots is achieved. Vr speed is the speed at which the pilot initiates a control input to raise the nose of the aircraft. This action prepares the aircraft to lift off the ground.

08:08:39 UTC: The aircraft air/ground sensors transition to air mode, consistent with liftoff.

08:08:42 UTC: Aircraft achieves the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 knots. Immediately after that, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transition from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of one second.

08:08:47 UTC: RAT hydraulic pump begins supplying hydraulic power as both engines go below minimum idle speed.

08:08:52 UTC: Engine 1 fuel cutoff switch transitions from CUTOFF to RUN.

08:08:56 UTC: Engine 2 fuel cutoff switch also transitions from CUTOFF to RUN

08:09:05 UTC: Aircraft makes MAYDAY call.

08:09:11 UTC: The EAFR stops recording.

With inputs from AP