A second-by-second timeline of how Air India’s Dreamliner flight ended in disaster
FILE PHOTO: The tail of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane that crashed into a building in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AMIT DAVE
London-bound Air India flight AI171 crashed 32 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, after fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a second of each other. A preliminary report found that the confused pilots were unable to restore thrust in time.
Here is a look at the sequence of events leading to the deadly crash:
11:17 Hrs IST: Air India Dreamliner VT-ANB lands in Ahmedabad from New Delhi, operating as flight AI423
13:13:00 Hrs: Aircraft requests pushback and start up
13:13:13 Hrs: ATC approved pushback
13:16:59 Hrs: ATC approved start up
13:18:38 Hrs: Aircraft departs from Bay 34 at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
13:19:12 Hrs: ATC queried if the aircraft required the full length of the runway. The aircraft confirmed the requirement of full length of Runway 23.
13:25:15 Hrs: Aircraft requests taxi clearance, which was granted by air traffic control (ATC)
13:26:00 Hrs: Aircraft taxis to Runway 23 via Taxiway R4, backtracked and lined up for take-off
13:32:03 Hrs: Aircraft transferred from ground to tower control
13:33:45 Hrs: Aircraft instructed to line up on the Runway 23
13.37:37 Hrs: ATC clears take-off from Runway 23
13.37:37 Hrs: Takeoff roll starts
13:38:39 Hrs: Liftoff from runway
13:38:42 Hrs: Maximum speed of 180 knots reached
Immediately thereafter, both Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches move from RUN to CUTOFF positions, one second apart. Engines begin to slow as fuel supply is cut off.
Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed during the initial climb immediately after lift-off.
One pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off fuel. The other answers that he has not done so
13:38:47 Hrs: Both Engine N1 and N2 drop below minimum idle speed. The RAT’s pump begins supplying hydraulic power.
13:38:52 Hrs: Engine N1 fuel cutoff switch moves to RUN from CUTOFF
13:38:56 Hrs: Engine N2’s fuel cutoff switch too rest to RUN
Both engines relight, and Engine 1 begins to recover. Engine 2 is unable to reverse deceleration
13:39:05 Hrs: One of the two pilots issues a distress “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY” call
13:39:11 Hrs: Data recording from the aircraft stops
13:44:44 Hrs: Fire tenders leave airport premises for rescue and firefighting
Published on July 12, 2025
