Air India Crash: A Closer Look at the Pilot's Background

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Preliminary investigation into the Air India AI-171 accident revealed that both aircraft engines shut down suddenly shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, 2025.

An interim report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), cited by The Indian Express, stated that the temporary cause of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's crash was the shifting of the two engine fuel control switches from "run" to "cutoff" within one second.

Initial Investigation Findings

The incident occurred just a few seconds after the aircraft reached its recorded maximum speed of 180 knots. As a result, both aircraft engines shut down one after the other, leading to a fatal crash. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot was heard asking the other, "Why did you shut down the engine?" However, the other pilot replied that he did not do it.

This condition confused the cockpit and is now the focus of further investigation. Both cockpit crew members were declared fit to fly before the flight, and no signs of fatigue or procedural violations were found before departure.

Profile of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal

The primary pilot in the flight was Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56 years old. According to NDTV, he is a senior pilot with a total of 15,638 flying hours, more than half of which, around 8,596 hours, were on Boeing 787.

Sabharwal holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATPL) license issued in May 2021, valid until 2026. His last class 1 medical examination was conducted on September 5, 2024. In the 30 days before the accident, he logged 57 flying hours.

Sabharwal also holds certifications to fly Boeing 777 and Airbus A310. He contacted his family from the airport before taking off, and promised to call back after landing in London. He lives in Jalvayu Vihar, Powai, Mumbai, with his 90-year-old father.

To The Indian Express, Sabharwal's neighbor said that he was preparing for retirement and wanted to spend more time at home. Sabharwal leaves behind an elder sister in Delhi, as well as two nieces who are also pilots.

Profile of First Officer Clive Kunder

The first officer in the AI-171 flight was Clive Kunder, 32 years old. He has a flying experience of 3,403 hours, including 1,128 hours on Boeing 787 as a first officer. Kunder holds a Commercial Pilot (CPL) license issued in 2020, valid until September 26, 2025. His last medical examination was conducted on February 4, 2025. In the recent 30 days, he logged 66 flying hours.

Kunder is a graduate of the aircraft maintenance program at the Bombay Flying Club and continued his flight training in Florida, United States. According to NDTV reports, quoting his family, Kunder has aspired to become a pilot since childhood and started flying in 2012. He joined Air India in 2017.

His mother, a former Air India flight attendant, currently lives with her husband and daughter in Sydney. Kunder himself lives in Goregaon, Mumbai, and is preparing for his wedding, which is planned two months after the incident.

Although no procedural violations were found before the flight, cockpit voice recordings indicate confusion among the pilots when the two fuel switches changed position. AAIB is still investigating to determine the exact cause of the sudden change that led to both engines shutting down.

Editor's Choice: The Initial Investigation Results of the Air India Crash

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