Ahmedabad Air India Crash: Italian Newspaper Alleges Pilot Deliberately Shut Off Engine Fuel Controls

Ahmedabad, February 12, 2026: An Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, has made a startling claim regarding the Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. According to the report, the crash was not caused by a technical malfunction, but allegedly by the deliberate shutdown of the engine fuel control switches by the pilot.

Flight AI-171, operating between Ahmedabad and Delhi, crashed seconds after takeoff, hitting a hostel near Medical College. The tragic accident claimed the lives of 260 people, including 241 passengers. Only one passenger, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, survived. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Initial investigations had raised suspicions that fuel cutoff in the engines had led to the crash, prompting questions about whether the shutdown was accidental or intentional.

According to the Italian report, based on communications between New Delhi and Washington, investigators point to the pilot, Captain Sumit Sabharwal, as the main suspect. The report cites cockpit voice recordings released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), where one pilot is heard asking, “Why did you shut off the fuel?” and the other responds, “I didn’t do it.” Technical analysis of the black box data reportedly indicates that both engines were manually shut down, rather than failing due to a mechanical fault.

The Corriere della Sera report also mentions that Captain Sabharwal was allegedly suffering from depression due to personal reasons, making him a primary focus of the investigation. Meanwhile, the pilot’s association and Sabharwal’s father have rejected the preliminary AAIB findings.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India continues to investigate the crash, with the final report pending. The Italian newspaper further suggests that the final investigation should include ongoing psychological evaluation and mental health monitoring for pilots to prevent similar incidents in the future.