Shadows of Suspicion

The tragedy of Air India flight 171 has, in its aftermath, thrown up far more questions than answers.

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In an era of rigorous aviation standards, redundant systems, and near-flawless fail-safes, how a modern aircraft like the Boeing 787-8 could crash within seconds of take-off – in clear weather and with no warning from the crew – demands urgent clarity.

What makes this disaster chilling is the apparent cause unearthed in the preliminary probe: both fuel control switches were in the "cut-off" position, a setting meant to shut down engines after landing.

Their simultaneous de-activation shortly after lift-off led to an immediate loss of thrust and triggered the aircraft's descent into an Ahmedabad medical students' canteen.

While the switches were returned to the "run" position and engine relight procedures automatically initiated, the aircraft had neither the time nor the altitude to recover.

These switches are not vulnerable to casual or accidental engagement.

They are protected by physical locks and guard brackets.

It would require deliberate – and most likely coordinated – movement to de-activate both.

The cockpit voice recorder captures one pilot asking the other why the cut-off was initiated.

The response: a denial.

But in the absence of speaker identification, the statement only deepens the ambiguity.

Was it human error? Sabotage? Systemic failure?

None of these possibilities can yet be ruled out.

Investigators are not suggesting foul play, but they are clearly unnerved by the implication that someone in the cockpit may have, however improbable that may seem in light of the time available, manually initiated the cut-off.

That possibility alone – if confirmed – would shift the investigation from mechanical to psychological territory.

In this case, silence is not just an absence of data – it is the loudest clue we have.

But this finding should not become the red herring that diverts attention from the possibility of equipment malfunction.