Australian aviation expert Captain Byron Bailey has weighed in on the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, asserting that evidence strongly suggests the pilot-in-command deliberately turned off the aircraft’s fuel control switches shortly after take-off.

The crash occurred on June 12, 2025, when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, plunged into a residential building in Ahmedabad just moments after leaving the runway. The devastating incident claimed the lives of 241 people on board, leaving only one survivor. Additionally, 19 people on the ground were killed.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) recently released its findings, revealing that the aircraft’s fuel control switches were turned off just three seconds after take-off. As a result, fuel stopped flowing to the engines, causing an immediate loss of thrust. Although the switches were reportedly turned back on and power was restored to one engine, it was too late to prevent disaster.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. pilot sources familiar with the investigation, data from the aircraft’s black box suggests that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, intentionally moved the switches into the “cut-off” position. The cockpit voice recorder also captured a tense exchange between Captain Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who was flying the plane at the time and questioned the captain’s actions.

“These developments cast a dark shadow over the captain’s role in the crash,” aviation analysts said, pointing out that such a move — cutting off the fuel supply — would be extremely difficult to carry out unintentionally.

Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, July 17, Captain Byron Bailey strongly suggested the pilot’s actions were deliberate.
“To us aviation people… we believe straight away that the only way this could have happened is if the captain turned off the fuel control switches,” Bailey stated.

“The first one, which is right by his right hand, three seconds after lift-off — and the second one, one second later,” he explained. “They’re mechanical, they’re not worked by electricity and they require absolute physical effort to lift the switch up.”

Investigations are still ongoing, but the findings have sparked international concern and debate about pilot mental health, cockpit monitoring, and the safety protocols in place to prevent such tragedies.