Air India’s B787, VT-ANB, Went Down At Ahmedabad, 12 June 2025, 0809 UTC

Barely a month after the tragedy of the first major Boeing 787 accident, a preliminary report has surfaced that indicates that something may have been amiss in the cockpit and neither the airframe or maintenance procedures is currently suspected as the Probable Cause for the tragedy that took the lives of 241 people in the aircraft (with one improbable survivor) and another 19 souls on the ground. 

The aviation industry has been bombarded with countless instant experts on the internet... some of whom should have known better than to guess so early into the investigation phase, but we tend to doubt that the Prelim will shut many of them up... even when they've clearly been off the mark time and time again. 

Keep in mind that this is a preliminary report... but that it does contain initial analysis of the CVR and FDR... which both point to issues with the actuation of both fuel cutoffs shortly into the takeoff...

On the day of the accident, the aircraft started rolling at 08:07:37 UTC... 

The prelim notes that, "The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec. The Engine N1 and N2 began to decrease from their take-off values as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off. 

In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other, why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.  

The CCTV footage obtained from the airport showed Ram Air Turbine (RAT) getting deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off. No significant bird activity is observed in the vicinity of the flight path. The aircraft started to lose altitude before crossing the airport perimeter wall."

There was an apparent attempt to relight the GEnx-1B70 powerplants but this occurred so late into the takeoff attempt and subsequent loss of acceleration that the aircraft collided with ground structures before the engines could spool up.

At about 08:09:05 UTC, one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”. The ATCO enquired about the call sign. ATCO did not get any response but observed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and activated the emergency response. 

The report also notes that, "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers." This should keep the Boeing haters at bay for all of a half hour.... maybe. 

The prelim is already raising a fuss among those with their own issues to pursue. Capt Sam Thomas, president of the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) stated that, “The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. ALPA India categorically rejects this presumption and insists on a fair, fact-based inquiry. We also renew our request to be included—at the very least, as observers—in the investigation process to ensure transparency and accountability.”

Several aviation lawyers, no doubt salivating at the potential of some big Boeing bucks, are also finding fault with the course of the investigation thus far. 

We'll have more to report as more FACTS emerge from the proceedings... and unlike much of the internet, we do not intend to pile on with uncorroborated guess work. More info to follow. 

FMI: https://aaib.gov.in/