Shocking Leak: 58-Second Cockpit Footage Reveals Warning Light Flashing Before Dual Engine Failure on Air India Flight 171

In a chilling development that has reignited global scrutiny over one of aviation’s most perplexing tragedies, a leaked 58-second cockpit video from Air India Flight 171 purportedly shows a critical warning light flashing moments before both engines abruptly quit. The footage, which surfaced on social media platforms in mid-July 2025, appears to capture the final harrowing seconds inside the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s cockpit as the aircraft plummeted into a residential area in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025. The crash claimed 260 lives—241 aboard the plane (with one miraculous survivor) and 19 on the ground—marking it as India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades.

The video, shared via anonymous accounts on platforms like Facebook and quickly going viral, aligns closely with details from the preliminary crash report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 11, 2025. According to the report, Flight 171, bound for London Gatwick with 230 passengers and 12 crew members, lifted off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at approximately 08:08:39 UTC. Just three seconds later, at 08:08:42 UTC, the fuel cutoff switches for both engines mysteriously transitioned from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” positions, one after the other with a one-second gap. This action starved the General Electric GEnx-1B engines of fuel, leading to a rapid loss of thrust. The leaked footage, if authentic, provides a visual complement to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) data, showing instrument panels lighting up with alerts as the plane struggled to climb.

In the grainy clip—seemingly recorded from an internal camera or a pilot’s device—the cockpit is bathed in the soft glow of dashboard lights during the initial takeoff roll. As the aircraft rotates and lifts off, a master caution warning light begins flashing intermittently, accompanied by audible chimes. Experts analyzing the video suggest this could indicate the onset of system anomalies, possibly related to hydraulic or electrical failures. Mere seconds into the ascent, the engines’ RPM indicators plummet, and the pilots’ voices overlap in confusion. One can hear a voice, believed to be the co-pilot Clive Kunder (who was flying the aircraft), exclaiming, “Why did you cutoff?” followed by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal’s denial: “I did not do so. The switches are then frantically moved back to “RUN” at 08:08:52 UTC for Engine 1 and 08:08:56 UTC for Engine 2, triggering an automatic relight sequence. However, by then, the Dreamliner had reached a maximum airspeed of 180 knots and a height of just 625 feet before beginning its fatal descent.

The Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—an emergency backup generator that deploys automatically during dual engine failure—is visible extending in the footage via external CCTV corroboration mentioned in the report. Airport surveillance videos confirm the RAT popping out during the initial climb, a stark indicator of catastrophic power loss. The landing gear, which should have retracted post-liftoff, remained down, likely due to the pilots’ focus shifting to engine recovery amid the chaos. The aircraft issued a desperate “MAYDAY” call at 08:09:05 UTC, but communications ceased six seconds later as it crashed into the B.J. Medical College campus, exploding on impact.

Aviation analysts have pored over the leaked video, debating its authenticity and implications. “This footage, if verified, underscores a human or systemic error that defies standard protocols,” says Peter Goelz, former managing director of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The fuel cutoff switches are designed with lift-guarded mechanisms to prevent accidental activation, requiring deliberate pulls and flips. Yet, a 2018 FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin highlighted potential issues with these switches on some Boeing models, including the 787, where locking features could disengage—though no mandatory fixes were issued, and Air India had not inspected them.

Speculation has swirled around pilot actions. Captain Sabharwal, 56, with over 15,000 flight hours, was the pilot monitoring, while First Officer Kunder, 32, handled takeoff. U.S. media reports, citing sources close to the investigation, suggest the captain’s hand may have been freer to reach the switches, shifting focus onto him. However, theories of intentional sabotage, such as pilot suicide, have been dismissed by experts like Mary Schiavo, former U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general, who points to possible software glitches mimicking switch movements, akin to a 2019 All Nippon Airways inciden. Fuel samples tested satisfactory, ruling out contamination, and no bird strikes were evident from CCTV.

The leak has deepened the mystery, with families of victims demanding full transparency. “We need the complete CVR transcript and video analysis to understand this nightmare,” said a relative of a deceased passenger during a vigil in Ahmedabad. Boeing and GE Aerospace have dispatched teams, but no advisories have been issued for the 787 fleet, emphasizing the incident’s isolated nature.

As the AAIB’s full report is expected in a year, the 58-second clip serves as a stark reminder of aviation’s fragility. It captures not just technical failures but human desperation in the face of the inexplicable. Whether accidental flip, electronic fault, or something more sinister, the flashing warning light in that footage symbolizes unanswered questions haunting the skies.