Report into Air India crash explains what caused devastating crash killing 260

A report has now been published revealing the reason why last month's devastating Air India crash occurred.

On 12 June, a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was carrying 242 passengers but just one would survive after the plane crashed just moments after taking off.

After a significantly increased number of crashes in recent months, this was one of the deadliest plane crashes in history and the worst in over 10 years.

Now, the reason behind the crash has been revealed in a newly-published report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which found that the plane's fuel control switches were flipped off just three seconds after the plane took to the air.

This abruptly stopped all fuel supply to the plane, meaning that it immediately lost thrust and altitude, with the pilots on board unable to amend the situation, although captain Sumeet Sabharwal was later hailed a 'hero' after it was determined that he saved dozens of lives with a last-minute decision on board.

Sabharwal was the Captain of the Air India flight (Family Handout)

Airport CCTV footage also showed that a back-up energy source called a ram air turbine was deployed, which indicated that the engines had lost power.

Although just seconds later the fuel control switches were flipped back on, it was sadly too late and the pilots could do nothing to save the plane from crashing.

Some black box audio has also captured some of the last words of the two pilots, captain Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kunder.

Both men had a huge amount of aviation experience, including on the Boeing 787, but the audio captured one of the men asking the other why he had switched off the fuel control switches, which they denied having done.

They then shouted 'mayday' three times before the plane hit the ground, with more audio likely to be released in the future.

The report also confirmed that both pilots were deemed fit to fly and had an adequate rest period between flights, so it remains unclear exactly why the crucial fuel control switches were turned off.

It is unknown exactly how the fuel controls were switched off (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

However, aviation expert Keith Tonkin explained to ABC News that it is unlikely the switches were turned off by accident, saying: "It means that almost certainly, one of the pilots — who would be the only people able to access those switches — has made the decision to physically switch the fuel off to the engines."

Posting on X, Air India wrote: "Air India stands in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time.

"We acknowledge receipt of the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) today, 12 July 2025.

"Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses.

"Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB."

A final report is expected within a year, as this report perhaps brings up more questions than answers right now.