Air India crash: ‘Emergency power device had tripped on the runway itself’ – New questions raised on investigation; FIP mother

Air India flight AI-171, going from Ahmedabad, Gujarat to London, fell on the ground on June 12, 2025 last year as soon as it took off. It has been a year since this accident, but the questions regarding the investigation are still not over. India’s pilot organization Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has now written a letter to the government investigation agency AAIB saying that some figures in the investigation report do not seem correct.

What is the real issue?

Actually, there is an emergency power device in the aircraft, which is called RAT. It is a small turbine, which comes out of the aircraft and provides emergency supply of electricity. It was said in the investigation report that the RAT started working within 4 to 5 seconds of fuel interruption, but when the team of American lawyers conducted the same test on the simulator of Boeing-787, it found that in reality it takes about 18 seconds to work.

Why is this difference important?

FIP says that if the timing of the report is correct, it means that the RAT had come out even before the pilot had touched any switch. Simply put, something went wrong with the plane while it was hitting the runway or even before that. It has also been claimed in the footage of a camera that the RAT was visible outside even before taking off.

There were signs even before this

On this day, Air India Flight AI171, departed Ahmedabad Airport at 13:38 local time on a scheduled service to London Gatwick, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

Just 32 seconds after becoming airborne, the aircraft crashed into a Medical College hostel complex in… pic.twitter.com/dKLWD2rCt9

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 12, 2026

FIP also said that the plane’s computer systems were sending malfunction messages from 7:53 a.m., about 14 minutes before takeoff. These messages related to power system, hydraulics and flight controls are called ACARS. The surviving passenger also said that he had heard a loud noise and the cabin lights had dimmed.

What did FIP demand?

The pilot organization wants AAIB itself to conduct tests on the Boeing-787 simulator and a representative of FIP should also be present there. Also, the complete video of the security camera of Ahmedabad Airport should be given to FIP. Apart from this, it should also be investigated that even though Air India itself had the simulator, why did it not give this information to AAIB?

This letter has also been sent to the Civil Aviation Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and DGCA. However, no official response has yet come from AAIB and Air India on this.

Also read: Air India Plane Crash: A year after the accident, AAIB’s statement came, but no answer! The question still remains – how did 260 people lose their lives?