📌 Reader’s Note:This is a simplified version of the technical findings, written so anyone can understand what the official report likely reveals. Some terms have been paraphrased or simplified — the exact technical language used in the AAIB Preliminary Report may differ. If you are a technical reader or aviation professional, please refer to the original report directly.
✈️ AI171 Crash: 4 Clues That Point to One Cause
The short version: Four things in the official report — when read together — suggest the plane lost all electrical power before it crashed.
⚡ CLUE 1 — The Speed Number With No Source
The report says: The plane was traveling at “maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots” at a key moment.
The problem: Every recorded speed in the report is tied to the phrase “as per EAFR.” That is the evidentiary anchor. If electrical power was lost and the airspeed system could no longer supply data, then a later figure such as 180 kt cannot stand on its own. Unless the source of that number is identified, it is not data — it is a ghost figure.
What it means: Main electrical power likely died at or before that moment.
🎙️ CLUE 2 — “Why Did You Cut Off?” / “I Didn’t”
Normal cockpit: Pilot A wears boom mic → his voice labelled "Pilot A" ✅ Pilot B wears boom mic → his voice labelled "Pilot B" ✅ Cockpit Area Mic (CAM) → All sounds in the cockpit CAM ✅AI171: Boom mics = powered by main bus = dead Only CAM (ceiling mic) remains powered by emergency electrical backup records Ceiling mic captures BOTH voices, can't tell them apart without voice analysis ❌
The report says: A voice said “Why did you cut off?” and another replied “I didn’t.”
The problem: We don’t know who said what — because the individual pilot microphones had already failed.
What it means: The personal mics failed when main power died — before this conversation happened.
🔥 CLUE 3 — The Black Box That Burned From the Inside
Plane has TWO black boxes: 📦 FORWARD (near cockpit) — survived real post-crash fire → intact ✅ 📦 AFT (in tail) — melted/destroyed ❌ BUT... the post-crash fire never reached the tail!
The problem: The tail black box was destroyed — but not by the crash fire. It was destroyed before the crash, from the inside.
What it means: A violent internal spark burned through the tail recorder. This kind of damage only happens when high-voltage electricity goes somewhere it shouldn’t.
⚙️ CLUE 4 — The Landing Gear That Started, Then Froze
After takeoff, gear retraction sequence: Step 1: Bogies tilt down ← CCTV shows this STARTED ✅ Step 2: Bay doors open ← NEVER HAPPENED ❌ Step 3: Gear folds in ← NEVER HAPPENED ❌ Step 4: Doors close ← NEVER HAPPENED ❌
The report says: The flap handle assembly sustained significant thermal damage. The handle was found to be firmly seated in the 5-degree flap position, consistent with a normal takeoff flap setting. The position was also confirmed from the EAFR data. The landing gear lever was in “DOWN” position.
The problem: For the Flap Handle the report shwos the Flap Assembly and the lever at FLap 5 position and further confirms with the Flight Data from EAFR.
The report tells us what the landing gear lever was selected to, but it does not clearly tell us what position the landing gear was actually in, as confirmed by the EAFR. That distinction matters. A lever selection is only an instruction; it is not proof that the gear physically extended and locked. Since the report uses EAFR data to confirm flap position, why does it not similarly use EAFR data to confirm the actual landing gear position?
What it means: Electrical power vanished while the gear was still retracting.
🔍 Put It All Together
| Clue | What Stopped Working | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Speed has no source | Speed sensors (need power) | Power was already gone |
| Can’t tell who spoke | Pilot boom mics (need power) | Mics died before the conversation |
| Tail box melted internally | Electrical system itself | Internal damage = power system failure |
| Gear froze mid-retraction | Electrical commands (need power) | Power cut mid-sequence |
One explanation fits all four: The plane suffered a total electrical failure shortly after takeoff — not a pilot error, not a fuel problem, not a mechanical break. The power simply died, taking everything with it.
Based on the AAIB Preliminary Report for AI171 (Air India B787-8, VT-ANB, Ahmedabad, June 12, 2025)
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