A 32-second flight ended in a catastrophic engine failure

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Moments after lifting off from Ahmedabad, Air India Flight 171 plummeted into a medical college hostel. The disaster, which claimed 241 lives on board, revealed a startling mechanical failure: both engines were deprived of fuel almost simultaneously just seconds after takeoff.

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated by Air India as Flight 171, struck the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College student hostels on 12 June 2025. The aircraft struck the ground just 1.7 kilometres from the runway, approximately 32 seconds after takeoff. The crash triggered a huge blast, killing 241 passengers—comprising 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian—plus 19 to 33 individuals on the ground.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India, supported by the NTSB and the UK’s air accidents investigation branch, issued a preliminary report in July 2025. The investigation revealed that the two switches controlling the engine fuel supply flipped from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' nearly simultaneously. This action briefly deprived the plane's two General Electric GEnx-1B70 engines of fuel, leading to a sudden loss of thrust.

This incident marked the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 since the model entered service in 2011. Following the disaster, the DGCA mandated stricter safety reviews for the Boeing fleet, prompting Air India to cut widebody international trips by 15 percent for a period of weeks. The crash was also the first fatal accident for the airline since its acquisition by the Tata Group in 2022.

The aircraft, registered VT-ANB, had been in service since January 2014 with 41,868 total flight hours. While the final report was expected by late 2026, the immediate aftermath saw the airline retire the AI171 flight number and adjust its route schedules between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick.

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