An Air India flight that took off from Ahmedabad on June 12 crashed shortly after departure, resulting in the deaths of at least 260 individuals, marking it as India’s worst aviation disaster in decades. The London-bound aircraft collided with a medical college dining hall, claiming the lives of nearly all 242 people onboard and several others on the ground.
A preliminary report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau provides a detailed timeline of events leading up to the crash, although it may take months for investigators to reach definitive conclusions.
According to the report, the timeline of the flight is as follows:
11:17 a.m.: The Boeing 787-8, previously arriving from New Delhi, lands at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The crew reported a defect related to a stabilizer sensor.
11:55 a.m.: The crew for Air India flight 171, consisting of two pilots and ten cabin crew members, arrives and passes routine preflight breath analyzer tests.
12:10 p.m.: The aircraft is cleared for flight after an engineer inspects the defect report.
1:18 p.m.: The plane departs the bay, slightly behind schedule, with 230 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, bound for London Gatwick Airport.
1:26 p.m.: Air traffic controllers authorize the plane to taxi towards the runway.
1:37 p.m.: The aircraft is cleared for takeoff.
1:38 p.m., 35 seconds: The plane reaches 155 knots, the required speed for takeoff.
1:38 p.m., 39 seconds: The aircraft lifts off the ground.
1:38 p.m., 42 seconds: The plane achieves a maximum speed of 180 knots.
Subsequently, the fuel switches for both engines shifted from the “RUN” position to “CUTOFF,” halting the fuel supply. The report does not clarify the cause of this switch movement, but aviation safety experts suggest that human intervention is likely necessary for such a change.
A cockpit voice recording reveals a confused exchange between the pilots, with one questioning the other about the fuel cutoff.
1:38 p.m., 47 seconds: As both engines decelerate and the plane begins to lose altitude, the ram air turbine is deployed to provide emergency power for hydraulic systems.
1:38 p.m., 52 seconds: The fuel cutoff switch for the first engine is restored to “RUN.”
1:38 p.m., 56 seconds: The second engine’s fuel switch is also returned to “RUN.” Both engines attempt to relight; the first succeeds while the second cannot halt its deceleration.
1:39 p.m., 5 seconds: One pilot declares a “MAYDAY” to air traffic control but receives no response.
Shortly thereafter, the aircraft crashes outside the airport boundary, prompting the air traffic controller to initiate an emergency response.
1:39 p.m., 11 seconds: The flight recorder ceases operation.
1:44 p.m., 44 seconds: Rescue and firefighting teams depart the airport to reach the crash site.