What India's last 3 air crashes revealed

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report on the June 12 Air India (A-I) Flight 171 crash near Ahmedabad.

- DEEPAK PATEL

Investigators are now focused on what caused the flight's fuel switches to move to cutoff mode, cutting thrust and triggering the crash.

India's three previous major commercial aviation disasters — Patna (2000), Mangalore (2010), and Kozhikode (2020) — all pointed to pilot error and procedural lapses. They offer hard-earned lessons for investigators and regulators alike.

Patna, 2000: A stall triggered by panic
What happened:

Alliance Air Flight CD-7412, a Boeing 737-200, was flying from Kolkata to Delhi via Patna and Lucknow. While approaching Patna around 7:30 am, the pilots realised they were too high. They asked for a 360-degree turn to lose altitude, but while banking, the aircraft stalled and crashed into a residential area. All six crew members and 49 passengers died, along with five people on the ground.

Why it happened: The inquiry found no mechanical faults. The crew flew too slowly during descent, made sharp turns, and tilted the nose up. When a stall warning triggered, the pilots failed to recover and lost control.