According to Captain Byron Bailey, an aviation expert from Australia, the most recent evidence suggests that the captain of the Air India aircraft must have purposefully shut off the fuel control switches.
Recall that Air India Flight 171, which was carrying 242 passengers and crew members,
crashed into a building in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, shortly after taking off.
There was only one survivor on the aircraft.
In a densely populated district, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed,
killing an additional 19 people on the ground.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian national, was the only person to survive the flaming wreckage, fortunately only sustaining minor injuries.
Meanwhile, Three seconds after takeoff, the plane’s fuel control switches were turned off,
this is according to an initial investigation on the disaster from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
Then, because the engines were not receiving enough fuel, the aircraft started to lose thrust.
The results also showed that shortly after the switches were reactivated
and one engine’s power was restored, the Air India plane crashed.
Also Read:
Air India Crash: Possible Sabotage Mentioned As Investigation Continues!
See Crew Of The Air India Plane Crash That Claimed Over 200 Lives
Terrifying Moment Air India Plane Carrying 242 Passengers Crashed!
Furthermore an analysis of black box data suggests pilot-in-command Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, placed the switches into the “cut-off” position,
The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing US pilot sources familiar with the report.
Black Box Recording Reveals Argument Between Both Pilots Of Air India Before Crash
The black box voice recording also indicated a back-and-forth unfolded between the two pilots,
with first officer Clive Kunder – who was flying the aircraft – questioning the senior pilot’s move.
The revelations have now cast a spotlight on the actions of the captain,
as aviation experts claim cutting off the fuel supply could not have been done by accident.
Meanwhile, Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, July 17, about the developments, Captain Bailey was of the view the pilot-in-command made a conscious move to flick off the fuel switches.
“To us aviation people … we believe straight away that the only way this could have happened is if the captain turned off the fuel control switches,” he told Sky News Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert.
“The first one, which is right by his right hand, three seconds up and lift off – and the second one, one second later.”
Captain Bailey claimed the co-pilot, also known as a first officer, would have had his “hands full” flying the aircraft.
“Both hands would have been on the yoke (control wheel) during this period, so he could not have reached down and turned the fuel cut off switches,” Captain Bailey said.
“They’re mechanical, they’re not worked by electricity, and they require absolute physical effort to lift the switch up, raise it over the gate and back down.
“So it had to be done by one of the pilots. But since the co-pilot was the one flying, then of course, the captain was one under suspicion.”
In his view, Captain Bailey claimed the crash was “suicide by the captain”.