Pilot in AI 171 Crash Purposely Cut Fuel, Says Final Italian Probe

According to a recent news report, an Air India flight 171 crashed in 2025 in Ahmedabad, not due to a technical glitch. Instead, it was an intentional act.

Air India Flight 171 Crash: It Was Intentional, Not Accidental: Italian News Report

The news of the plane crash last year shocked many who believed it was a critical plane fault. But now, as per the recent update, the story is different.

​A report in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera is based on information from two people familiar with recent discussions between New Delhi and Washington.

​Around 260 people lost their lives in the crash, making it one of the worst plane disasters in the country in decades.

​However, the Italian newspaper's report is based on two unnamed sources and early assessments.

​The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not yet released its final report.

The Plane’s Engine's Fuel Supply was Intentionally Cut Off

Now, according ot a report by Corriere della Sera, Indian investigators deny the belief that the aviation crash happened because of a technical fault.

​They report that the engine's fuel supply was intentionally cut off. Officials are preparing their final report on this matter.

​US experts working on this problem call this new observation a breakthrough.

​Revisiting the Tragic Incident of the 2025 Plane Crash: What Happened That Day

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Air India, took off from Ahmedabad airport, but seconds later it crashed.

​Around 260 people lost their lives in this tragic incident. It included passengers and people inside a medical students’ hostel that got hit by an aircraft.

​Miraculously, only one passenger survived with an injury.

​Based on a released preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation (AAIB), it says that after a short time taking off, the plane had encountered a problem in fuel control switches, which someone moved from ‘run’ to ‘cut off’.

​According to a cockpit voice recording, one pilot questioned the other about the fuel cut.

​In the response, the second pilot denied his role in it. To date, the government has not directly blamed any pilot for this issue.

Is Flight Captain Sumeet Sabharwal The Main Culprit?

An Italian newspaper reported that investigators believe the captain may have switched off the fuel supply to one of the engines, leading to a loss of power in both engines.

​The commander of the flight AI 171 was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with the co-pilot, First Officer Clive Kunder.

The report also says that, although there is no clear responsibility, investigators are raising doubts about Captain Sabharwal, who they believe is the main suspect.

Adding further that proves their doubt is his mental condition, which says that he was in depression, although claims vary.

When the early AAIB findings were made public, they prompted protests from many pilots’ associations.

The father of Captain Sabharwal strongly dismissed his son's involvement and demanded a new investigation.

He also rejected reports of his son’s mental health and claims of divorce.

Crash Probe May Lead to Mandatory Psychological Checks for Pilots

The newspaper reports also say that, following the final investigation report, regular mental checkups for pilots must be initiated, including psychological assessments.

After the AI 171 Plane crash, many theories emerged, emphasising technical failure and human error.

Over time, investigators’ attention focused mainly on the fuel control switches in the cockpit.

Data From The Black Box: What Does It Reveal?

According to data from the black box, the final moments during which the co-pilot made an effort to regain altitude, but the captain’s controls remained inactive.

​Investigators also found that the left engine was installed before the right engine, and that the captain was seated on the left.

​Based on the technical study, they ruled out mechanical failure and concluded that the manual removal of the switch caused the crash.

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