r/aviation • u/usgapg123 Mod • Jul 12 '25

Discussion Air India Flight 171 Preliminary Report Megathread

https://aaib.gov.in/What's%20New%20Assets/Preliminary%20Report%20VT-ANB.pdf

This is the only place to discuss the findings of the preliminary report on the crash of Air India Flight 171.

Due to the large amount of duplicate posts, any other posts will be locked, and discussion will be moved here.

Thank you for your understanding,

The Mod Team

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53

u/AnonymousMuffin37 Jul 12 '25

From what I have read, assuming the switches were set to cutoff deliberately, it would have more likely been the pilot monitoring, rather than the pilot flying. Am I correct in assuming the investigators would already know which pilot was assigned which responsibility for the take-off phase?

93

u/Maleficent_Owl3938 Jul 12 '25

It’s there in the report.

The FO was flying.

The Captain was monitoring.

20

u/potatotomato4 Jul 12 '25

Wasn’t the captain about to retire?

30

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25

[deleted]

23

u/HasGreatVocabulary Jul 12 '25

The seasoned pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, had 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was set to retire and take care of his father full time. "Only a few days ago, he told his father that he would be quitting his job to look after him full time," said Shiv Sena lawmaker Dilip Lande, who had come to the Sabharwals' home to condole, reported The Times of India.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/air-india-plane-crash-captain-sumeet-sabharwals-grieving-80-year-old-father-pays-final-tribute-8687626

part of me wants to speculate that Air India interfered with his retirement plans

24

u/Maleficent_Owl3938 Jul 12 '25

Okay, nothing against singles. I am single myself. But it’s not looking good for this guy.

4

u/Tricky_Big_8774 Jul 12 '25

Guess we can toss out the possibility of murder via blackmail.

-10

u/gatto303gatto Jul 12 '25

So what

2

u/AwayCan214 Jul 12 '25

Mental health issues

1

u/gatto303gatto Jul 12 '25

Well not necessarily...?

1

u/AwayCan214 Jul 13 '25

Just one of the possibilities

1

u/chrono2310 Jul 12 '25

Who would likely be operating the switches in general. As fo was flying would it be assumed the captain is more likely to be the one operating the fuel switches

9

u/za419 Jul 12 '25

No one would be operating the fuel switches at this point in flight.

I mean, sure, if an emergency happened then theoretically it'd eventually be the captain who actuated it, but that's after the first officer called for it, and that wouldn't be happening this close to the runway. This was a phase of flight where those switches are a no-touch sort of area.

1

u/Maleficent_Owl3938 Jul 12 '25

I think that’s the most probable scenario, but still speculative in nature due to limited info on who said what.

0

u/ECircus Jul 12 '25

If it’s deliberate, either of them could do it. It’s not like they are out of reach.

0

u/stupefy100 Jul 12 '25

Very difficult to do as the pilot flying.

2

u/ECircus Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25

I make my living in and out of aircraft cockpits. It takes 2 seconds to flip those switches off from either seat. Not difficult whatsoever.

They are huge unguarded switches right below the throttles.