Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, each pilots of Air India flight AI-171, had been declared match for obligation and had been adequately rested earlier than the flight took off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, in accordance with an interim report launched by the Plane Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Nevertheless, simply seconds after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet reached its most recorded airspeed of 180 knots, each its engines shut down one after the opposite, resulting in a deadly crash, the report stated.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot-in-command of AI-171 on June 12, was a seasoned flyer with over 15,600 hours of flight expertise — greater than half of it on the 787 Dreamliner. The 56-year-old held an Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), the very best degree of certification, issued in Could 2021 and legitimate till 2026. His most up-to-date Class 1 medical examination was carried out on September 5, 2024. Within the 30 days main as much as the crash, Sabharwal had logged roughly 57 flight hours.
A protracted-serving pilot, Sabharwal lived in Jalvayu Vihar, Powai, together with his 90-year-old father and was simply months away from retirement. His neighbours earlier advised The Indian Specific that he regarded ahead to spending extra time at dwelling and caring for his getting older mother or father. Sabharwal is survived by his elder sister, who lives in Delhi. Her two sons have adopted in Sabharwal’s footsteps and are each industrial pilots.
On the day of the flight, the crew reported to the airport, underwent pre-flight breath analyser assessments, and had been discovered match to function the plane. (File Picture/Sankhadeep Banerjee)
First Workplace Clive Kunder, the co-pilot on the fateful flight, solely lately began flying lengthy haul worldwide flights. The 32-year-old had 3,400 hours of flight expertise, with round 1,100 hours on the 787 Dreamliner. Kunder held a Business Pilot License (CPL), which was issued in 2020 and was legitimate till September this yr. His most up-to-date Class 1 medical examination was carried out on February 4, 2025. Within the 30 days main as much as the crash, Sabharwal had logged roughly 66 flight hours.
On the time of the crash, Kunder was simply two months away from his marriage ceremony. A graduate of the plane upkeep programme on the Bombay Flying Membership, he later accomplished his flying coaching in Florida, US. His dad and mom now stay in Sydney alongside together with his sister. Kunder’s mom is a former Air India flight attendant. The pilot had been residing alone in Mumbai’s Goregaon space.
Each pilots, primarily based in Mumbai, had arrived in Ahmedabad a day earlier. On the day of the flight, the crew reported to the airport, underwent pre-flight breath analyser assessments, and had been discovered match to function the plane.
In line with the investigation, the crash seemingly occurred after each engine gasoline management switches moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ place in fast succession shortly after takeoff. “Within the cockpit voice recording, one of many pilots is heard asking the opposite why did he minimize off. The opposite pilot responded that he didn’t accomplish that,” the report stated.
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