Air India Crash Preliminary Report Leaves Families Seeking Answers

One month after Air India Flight 171 crashed into a hostel at Ahmedabad's BJ Medical College, killing 260 people, including children and entire families, key questions remain unanswered. The disaster left behind scorched buildings and devastated lives.

On Saturday, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its preliminary report, confirming that both fuel control switches were moved to 'cut off' just seconds after take-off, shutting down the engines and causing the Boeing 787 to lose thrust. But the report does not explain how or why the switches were moved, offering little clarity or comfort to the families left behind.

In a narrow alley in Ahmedabad, 32-year-old Ravi Thakor sits on a wooden cot inside his modest home, scrolling through old videos of his daughter playing. Today would have been her second birthday. Instead of celebrating, Mr. Thakor is mourning his daughter Aadhya and his mother Sarla Ben, who were both killed when the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel mess where she worked.

Cockpit audio captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been cut off, and the other replying that he hadn't done it. Mr. Thakor says the findings are confusing and only deepen his questions. 'There will be many like us who are not that educated and don't understand what has been written in the report,' he said.

Not far from Mr. Thakor's home, another family is grappling with the same grief. BS Saiyad lost his brother Inayat, as well as Inayat's wife and daughter, in the crash. He, too, has read the preliminary findings, and finds them contradictory. 'If this investigation is to be done transparently, there can't be any prejudice,' Mr. Saiyad said.

As investigators continue analyzing flight data, wreckage, post-mortem reports, and witness statements, the final report could take months. For families like the Thakors and the Saiyads, however, the preliminary findings offer little solace.

'If this report means that future lives can be saved it's a good thing. But it's not going to make a difference to us,' Mr. Saiyad said.

'Sometimes I dream about calling Inayat and stopping him from leaving.' On what should have been a day of celebration, Mr. Thakor spent his daughter's second birthday looking at her photos and videos, still asking why she had to die.