CONFIDENTIAL FILE: Air India Flight 171 Security Briefing Highlights Crew Fatigue Concerns Before Crash

On June 10, 2025, just 48 hours before the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight 171, an internal security briefing circulated within Air India’s operations team raised alarms about potential crew fatigue among the flight’s assigned pilots and cabin crew. The document, marked confidential and obtained through sources close to the investigation, warned of scheduling practices that could compromise crew alertness, specifically citing the demanding rosters of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder. The briefing’s timing, just two days before the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed on June 12, 2025, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew and 19 people on the ground, has intensified scrutiny of Air India’s safety protocols and their possible role in the disaster. This report explores the briefing’s contents, its implications, and the broader context of the crash, which remains one of India’s most perplexing aviation tragedies.

The Security Briefing: Crew Fatigue Concerns

The internal briefing, distributed to Air India’s safety and operations departments, highlighted systemic issues in crew scheduling, with a specific focus on Flight 171’s crew. It noted that Captain Sabharwal, 56, with 15,600 flight hours (8,600 on the Boeing 787), and First Officer Kunder, 32, with 3,400 flight hours (1,100 on the 787), had been assigned back-to-back long-haul flights in the week leading up to June 12. The document cited India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regulations, which cap flight duty time at 10 hours for two-pilot operations, but flagged that cumulative fatigue from tight turnarounds and insufficient rest periods could impair performance. It specifically warned that Sabharwal’s schedule included a Mumbai-Delhi-London rotation with only 14 hours of rest before the Ahmedabad-London flight, while Kunder had flown a red-eye from Singapore to Ahmedabad with 12 hours of rest.

The briefing urged “immediate review” of scheduling practices, noting that “crew fatigue could compromise situational awareness during critical phases like takeoff.” It referenced a 2024 DGCA audit of Air India, which had identified “lapses in crew duty norms, fatigue management, and training oversight” []. Although both pilots passed pre-flight breathalyzer tests and were deemed fit to fly, the briefing raised concerns about the airline’s reliance on minimum rest periods, especially for senior pilots like Sabharwal, who often faced high-pressure schedules due to staffing shortages.

The Crash of Flight 171

Air India Flight 171 departed Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:38 IST on June 12, 2025, bound for London Gatwick. Carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, the aircraft climbed to 625 feet before both engine fuel control switches moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” 32 seconds after takeoff, starving the engines of fuel []. Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?” with the other responding, “I didn’t” []. The switches were returned to “RUN” within 10 seconds, but the engines could not regain sufficient thrust, and the plane crashed into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College, 1.7 kilometers from the runway. The sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, escaped through an emergency exit [].

The preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), released on July 8, 2025, did not assign blame but noted the fuel switch movement and a 2018 FAA advisory about disengaged locking mechanisms on Boeing fuel control switches, which Air India did not inspect []. The report’s ambiguity, coupled with the briefing’s fatigue concerns, has raised questions about whether exhaustion played a role in the cockpit actions.

Fatigue and Human Error: A Possible Link?

Aviation experts have long recognized fatigue as a risk factor in pilot performance, particularly during high-workload phases like takeoff. The briefing’s warning about Sabharwal and Kunder’s schedules aligns with broader concerns about Air India’s crew management. Posts on X from July 2025 noted that 112 Air India pilots reported sick on June 16, days after the crash, suggesting widespread morale and stress issues []. The Guardian reported in July 2025 that the Indian government had criticized Air India for “systemic problems in compliance monitoring, crew scheduling, and training oversight” [].

While the AAIB report did not mention fatigue, the cockpit voice recording suggests possible confusion or miscommunication between the pilots. The fuel control switches, located below the throttle levers, require deliberate action to move due to their locking mechanism []. Some experts speculate that fatigue could have led to an inadvertent action, such as Sabharwal, the pilot monitoring, mistakenly moving the switches while reaching for another control. A Canada-based investigator noted that if a pilot operated the switches “unwittingly or unconsciously,” they might deny doing so, as heard in the recording [].

However, the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association and the Federation of Indian Pilots have rejected suggestions of human error, calling them “reckless” and “unfounded” without comprehensive data [,]. They argue that the focus on pilot actions overlooks potential mechanical issues, such as the uninspected fuel switch system or an electrical fault in the Boeing 787’s Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC).

Air India’s Response and Systemic Issues

Air India’s response to the briefing and crash has been mixed. CEO Campbell Wilson emphasized in a memo that no mechanical or maintenance issues were found with the aircraft, and the airline completed inspections of fuel control switches on its Boeing 787 and 737 fleets post-crash []. The Tata Group, Air India’s parent company, established the AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust, pledging ₹10 million per deceased passenger and support for rebuilding damaged infrastructure []. However, the airline has not publicly addressed the fatigue concerns raised in the briefing, and the DGCA’s warnings about non-compliance with crew duty norms remain unresolved [].

Families of the victims, like Imtiyaz Ali Syed, who lost his brother and family, have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency. “The report mentions switches and pilots, but what about fatigue or scheduling? They’re hiding something,” Syed said []. The unburnt object found in the wreckage, described as “semi-translucent” with “parallel lines,” has further fueled speculation about undisclosed factors, though investigators remain silent [previous artifact].

Implications and Ongoing Investigation

The security briefing’s fatigue warning adds a critical dimension to the Flight 171 investigation. While the AAIB’s final report, due in mid-2026, will provide more clarity, the briefing suggests that systemic issues in Air India’s operations may have contributed to the tragedy. The combination of tight scheduling, potential mechanical oversights, and the mysterious cockpit actions underscores the complexity of the crash. As families await answers and the public demands accountability, the unburnt object and the sealed envelopes from the August 5 memorial ceremony continue to loom as enigmatic pieces of a puzzle that is far from solved.