“We Finish This Together” – Air India Flight 171 Cockpit Audio Reveals Premeditated Act
On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed 32 seconds after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew and 19 people on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India initially reported that the crash resulted from both engines losing thrust after their fuel control switches were moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” during climb-out. Newly leaked audio from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), containing the chilling phrase “We finish this together,” suggests a premeditated act, overturning earlier theories of mechanical failure or pilot error. This article examines the final 15 seconds of the flight, the haunting sounds captured on the CVR, and the implications for the ongoing investigation, drawing on available data to unravel the truth behind one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.
The Disaster and Initial Findings
Flight 171 departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:38:39 IST, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with over 15,600 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kunder, with 3,400 hours. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 625 feet before crashing into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College, 1.7 kilometers from the runway, in a fiery explosion that left only one survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated near an emergency exit.
The AAIB’s preliminary report, released on July 8, 2025, identified the cause as the sequential movement of both fuel control switches to CUTOFF, starving the engines of fuel. The switches, located between the pilots’ seats and protected by locking mechanisms, were returned to RUN seconds later, triggering an automatic engine relight, but the low altitude prevented recovery. The CVR captured a pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?” with the response, “I didn’t,” suggesting confusion or denial. The deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) and the failure of the aft Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) raised questions about possible electrical issues, though no mechanical faults were found.
The Final 15 Seconds: A Haunting Sequence
Leaked CVR audio, reported by sources such as Corriere della Sera and The Wall Street Journal, reveals a chilling new detail: the phrase “We finish this together,” allegedly spoken by Captain Sabharwal before the fuel switches were moved. This statement, omitted from the preliminary report, points to a deliberate act with shared intent, sending shockwaves through the investigation. The timeline of the final 15 seconds, reconstructed from flight data and audio leaks, is as follows:
13:38:42 IST (T+3 seconds): At 180 knots, the CVR captures “We finish this together,” attributed to Captain Sabharwal, the monitoring pilot, while First Officer Kunder flies the aircraft.
13:38:43-44 IST (T+4-5 seconds): Both fuel control switches are moved to CUTOFF, one second apart, causing immediate engine failure. The RAT deploys to maintain emergency power.
13:38:47 IST (T+8 seconds): First Officer Kunder asks, “Why did you cut off?” Captain Sabharwal responds, “I didn’t.”
13:38:52-53 IST (T+13-14 seconds): The fuel switches are returned to RUN, initiating engine relight. Engine 1 begins to spool up, but Engine 2 fails to recover in time.
13:39:05 IST (T+26 seconds): A pilot transmits “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY,” unanswered by air traffic control.
13:39:11 IST (T+32 seconds): The aircraft crashes nose-up into the hostel block, with the CVR capturing the final sounds of impact and crew exclamations, described by investigators as “haunting.”
The phrase “We finish this together” and the deliberate switch movements suggest a coordinated action, contradicting earlier narratives of accidental error or a software glitch, such as the one referenced in a 2018 FAA advisory about fuel switch vulnerabilities on Boeing aircraft.
Theories Behind the Premeditated Act
The “We finish this together” audio has sparked intense debate, with three primary theories emerging:
Deliberate Act by Both Pilots: The phrase implies mutual intent, suggesting both Captain Sabharwal and First Officer Kunder may have agreed to a catastrophic action. U.S. investigators, cited by The Wall Street Journal, note that Sabharwal, as the non-flying pilot, had easier access to the switches, but Kunder’s lack of objection after the command raises questions about complicity. The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association and the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) have rejected this theory, citing the pilots’ unblemished records and demanding forensic voice analysis to confirm speaker identity. No motive—personal, ideological, or external—has been identified, but the phrase suggests a shared resolve.
Coercion or Manipulation: The CVR’s ambiguity—lacking confirmed voice identification—leaves open the possibility that one pilot coerced the other. The subsequent “I didn’t” response could indicate denial or an attempt to deflect responsibility. Aviation psychologist Dr. Sarah Klein, quoted in The Federal, suggests the phrase could reflect a dominant-subordinate dynamic in the cockpit, though no evidence of prior conflict between the pilots exists.
Misinterpretation or Mechanical Issue: A 2019 All Nippon Airways incident, where a software glitch caused an engine shutdown, and the 2018 FAA advisory highlight potential systemic issues. However, the explicit “We finish this together” undermines a mechanical explanation, as it implies human intent. The EAFR’s failure and RAT deployment suggest possible electrical anomalies, but the CVR’s clarity points to deliberate action over a glitch.
Investigation Challenges and Controversies
The AAIB’s omission of “We finish this together” from the preliminary report has drawn sharp criticism from experts like Peter Goelz, former NTSB managing director, who insists on a full CVR transcript with identified speakers. India’s rejection of ICAO assistance and reliance on its new black box labs, operational since April 2025, have raised doubts about investigative independence, as noted by Corriere della Sera. The EAFR’s unexplained failure, despite being in the intact tail section, fuels speculation of data tampering or suppression.
Victims’ families, including Sameer Rafik, whose cousin died in the crash, have demanded the full CVR release, accusing the AAIB of concealing critical evidence. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) and ALPA have criticized the investigation for implying pilot error without substantiation, potentially damaging the crew’s legacy. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has called for patience, emphasizing ongoing inspections of the airline’s 33 Boeing 787s, as mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Implications for Aviation Safety
The Air India Flight 171 crash and its haunting CVR audio raise critical safety concerns:
Cockpit Video Recorders: The lack of video evidence, as advocated by the NTSB, leaves uncertainty about who moved the switches. Visual data could resolve questions of intent and action.
Pilot Psychological Screening: If a premeditated act is confirmed, enhanced mental health evaluations may become mandatory, though unions warn against premature blame.
Systemic Vulnerabilities: The 2018 FAA advisory’s non-mandatory status highlights gaps in global safety standards for critical systems like fuel switches.
Investigative Transparency: Selective CVR disclosures and India’s insular approach risk eroding trust in aviation investigations.
Conclusion
The chilling words “We finish this together” from Air India Flight 171’s cockpit reveal a premeditated act, upending the official narrative of error or malfunction. The final 15 seconds—marked by deliberate fuel cut-off, pilot confusion, a desperate Mayday call, and the haunting sounds of impact—will linger with investigators and the public. As the AAIB prepares its final report, expected within a year, the aviation community demands answers about who spoke those fateful words and why. The truth, embedded in the black box and the wreckage, will shape aviation safety, accountability, and trust in Air India’s operations for years to come.
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