Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat, India, on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people and injuring one survivor [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The flight was headed to London Gatwick with 241 passengers aboard, including 52 British and 169 Indian nationals, when the plane crashed into a medical college hostel building in Ahmedabad [1, 2, 4, 5].
The senior pilot was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, with over 15,000 flight hours including 8,596 on the Boeing 787. The co-pilot was First Officer Clive Kunder, 32 years old, with 3,403 flight hours [1, 6].
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) leads the official investigation [1, 7, 8, 9, 10]. A preliminary report released in July 2025 implicated the movement of fuel control switches to the 'cut-off' position, causing starvation of fuel to the engines [7, 3, 9]. Cockpit voice recordings confirmed the fuel supply was cut off, raising the possibility of pilot error [7, 9, 6].
However, pilot associations and victims’ families have strongly rejected suggestions that pilot error caused the crash. They demand a thorough inquiry examining all factors and greater transparency [1, 7, 10, 6]. Victims’ families have also faced difficulties in identification and repatriation of remains. UK Coroner Fiona Wilcox said, "The identity of the unidentified male remains outstanding. I hope that identification will be forthcoming" [2]. Family member Miten Patel pleaded for clearer separation of remains, reflecting ongoing distress [2]. Aviation attorney Mike Andrews said, "They are still being victimised, even one year after the crash" [4].
The investigation’s final report has been delayed beyond the one-year anniversary with no firm completion timeline. The primary cause of the delay is the detailed analysis of the Boeing 787’s engine components being conducted in the United States [7, 8, 9, 5, 6]. Relatives and legal representatives continue calling for justice and transparency from Air India and investigators [4, 10, 5].
The sole survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, reportedly received £21,500 in compensation [5]. The AAIB plans to release an interim update soon but has not indicated when the final report will be issued [7, 8, 9, 5].
