Air India Crash: Captain May Have Intentionally Cut Fuel, Says Aviation Expert

Source: Africa Publicity

Australian aviation expert Captain Byron Bailey has weighed in on the devastating Air India Flight 171 crash, claiming newly released findings strongly suggest the aircraft’s captain intentionally shut off the plane’s fuel control switches — a move he says could not have been accidental.

The fatal crash occurred on June 12, 2025, when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport, went down just moments after takeoff. The aircraft slammed into a residential building, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. An additional 19 people on the ground also lost their lives.

A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) revealed the fuel control switches were turned off three seconds after takeoff, cutting off fuel supply to the engines. Although the switches were later turned back on and power briefly restored to one engine, it was too late to prevent the crash.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with the cockpit voice recordings, the pilot-in-command, 56-year-old Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, was identified as the person who physically placed the switches into the “cut-off” position. The black box audio also captured first officer Clive Kunder — who was piloting the aircraft — questioning the captain’s actions in real-time.

Reacting to the findings in an interview with Sky News Australia on Thursday, July 17, retired Qantas pilot and aviation analyst Captain Byron Bailey said the evidence points to a deliberate act by the captain.

“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,” Bailey stated.

“The first one, which is right by his right hand, was switched off three seconds after liftoff — the second, just one second later.”

“They’re mechanical. They’re not worked by electricity, and they require absolute physical effort to lift the switch up. This isn’t something you can do by mistake,” he added.

Bailey’s comments add weight to growing concerns over the actions of Captain Sabharwal in the moments leading up to the disaster.

Aviation safety experts have called for a deeper investigation into the captain’s mental state and possible motives, as intentional interference with critical systems is considered an extremely rare — and serious — breach of aviation conduct.

Air India has yet to issue a detailed public response, but sources say the airline is assisting investigators and providing full access to internal crew records.

The final report from the AAIB is expected in the coming months, as grieving families and aviation authorities await a definitive conclusion on what led to one of the deadliest air disasters in Indian aviation history.