A year after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, questions are once again being raised on what led to it and how accurate the preliminary report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Friday challenged the official narrative surrounding the crash of Air India Boeing Flight AI 171 during a presser.
The body has claimed that fresh simulator tests indicate a catastrophic electrical failure, rather than deliberate pilot action, caused the aircraft to go down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, 2025.
FIP alleges crucial evidence being overlooked
Addressing a press conference, FIP President Captain CS Randhawa alleged that investigators had overlooked crucial technical evidence and sidelined leading aviation experts in favour of a predetermined conclusion. The interim report into the crash had concluded that the flight crew manually cut off fuel supply to both engines in what investigators described as a coordinated suicide pact.
According to the official timeline, the aircraft’s ram air turbine (RAT), a backup power system that deploys automatically during total power loss, dropped four seconds after the fuel supply was shut off.
However, Randhawa said the pilots’ body recently conducted extensive simulator tests under conditions matching the aircraft’s weight, balance and weather parameters at the time of the accident. Randhawa claimed that the results contradicted the findings of the interim report.
“Our simulator tests prove that a manual fuel cut-off takes a full 18 seconds to drop that backup turbine. The official timeline of four seconds is physically and technically impossible under a manual shutdown scenario,” he observed.
Massive electrical failure stopped engines, says FIP
The FIP argued that the rapid deployment of the RAT indicated that a massive electrical failure had occurred before the engines stopped. According to the federation, such a systemic malfunction could have triggered the engine switches and ultimately caused the crash.
“Investigators should examine the possibility of an uncommanded technical or electrical failure involving aircraft computer systems, including systems associated with Full Authority Digital Engine Control and Thrust Control Malfunction Accommodation,” they said.
The body also cited the testimony of the lone survivor of Flight AI 171, who reportedly recalled seeing cabin lights flicker and dim moments before the aircraft entered its fatal descent. Randhawa said the account was consistent with the theory of a sudden electrical failure.
The federation further alleged that the aircraft had a documented history of unresolved electrical issues before the accident.
FIP demands halting final accident report
The pilots’ body also accused investigators of excluding Captain RS Sandhu, whom it described as India’s foremost Boeing 787 expert, from critical stages of the probe.
“They are ignoring the input of our most experienced pilot because his knowledge would completely disprove their ‘pilot suicide’ theory. It is easier to blame dead pilots who cannot defend themselves than to confront a major mechanical or software flaw,” Randhawa alleged.
The FIP said it had formally submitted its simulator findings to Boeing and Indian aviation authorities. It demanded that publication of the final accident report be halted until discrepancies surrounding the timing of the RAT deployment are fully examined and called for Captain Sandhu’s immediate reinstatement to the investigation team to ensure transparency and an independent review.