Fact-Check: Viral "Air India Crash Preliminary Report" a Hoax
A viral "AAIB report" on the AI171 crash is a hoax. It falsely blames a seat malfunction for the tragedy. Official information is that the real investigation is ongoing, and no cause has been found.
A detailed document claiming to be a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the June 12 crash of Air India Flight AI171 is being shared online. This document, which claims a pilot's seat malfunction caused the disaster, is a fabrication.
As the accident occurred three days ago, the investigation into the crash is in its early stages, and no cause has been determined. The fraudulent report appears to be a work of fiction, leveraging details from a separate and unrelated aviation incident to create a false narrative surrounding the loss of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The fictional report appears to conflate the real Air India tragedy with a separate, non-fatal incident that occurred on a LATAM Airlines flight in March 2024, creating a convincing but unfounded narrative that exploits public grief and curiosity.
What we know: The facts of the AI171 crash
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The disaster claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew, as well as several individuals on the ground, leaving only a single survivor from the aircraft.
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India's AAIB is leading the official investigation, with international support from the U.S. NTSB. Investigators have recovered the flight's crucial "black boxes"—the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder—and are analyzing the data.
To date, no official findings have been released. Early speculation among aviation experts has focused on a potential loss of engine power during the aircraft's unusually long takeoff roll, but this remains unconfirmed.
The hoax circulating on the web:
Here are the latest *verified updates* on the Air India AI-171 crash investigation, based on India's AAIB *preliminary report* released today (*June 25, 2025*):
---
### 🔥 *Critical Findings from AAIB Preliminary Report*
1. *Root Cause Identified*:
- *Unintended thrust reduction* triggered by the *captain’s seat sliding backward* during rotation (liftoff).
- The seat’s *AFT lock mechanism failed*, causing sudden rearward movement. The captain’s body weight forcibly pulled the thrust levers to idle.
- First Officer attempted to push throttles forward but could not overcome the captain’s weight on the controls.2. *Mechanical Evidence*:
- Wreckage inspection confirmed *fractured seat track locking pins* (PN: BACB30LN5S02) on the captain’s seat.
- Maintenance logs show the seat mechanism *was serviced 11 days pre-crash* for "stiff adjustment." No post-repair function test was documented.3. *Flight Deck Timeline* (CVR/FDR correlation):
- *+0:12 sec*: Rotation begins. Captain’s seat slips aft abruptly.
- *+0:15 sec: Thrust levers pulled to idle. First Officer: "*Thrust dropping!"
- *+0:18 sec: Captain: "*My seat!" Struggle heard.
- *+0:26 sec*: First Officer attempts full thrust; aircraft stalls at 214 ft.
- *+0:38 sec*: Impact.4. *Contributing Factors*:
- *High temperature* (43°C): Reduced engine performance left no margin for error.
- *Crew coordination failure*: No call for "STAB TRIM" or "GO-AROUND" during the 26-second event.
- *Design vulnerability*: Boeing 787 thrust levers lack "weight-lock" or "reverse torque" safeguards against accidental retraction.---
### ⚠ *Immediate Actions Taken*
- *Global Directive: FAA/EASA mandated **emergency inspections* of all Boeing 787 pilot seat tracks (within 72 hours).
- *Air India*: Grounded 12 aircraft with similar seat maintenance records.
- *Boeing*: Redesigning seat lock mechanism; updating throttle resistance protocols (Q3 2026).---
### 🕯 *Human Impact*
- *Fatalities*: 243 onboard + 4 ground fatalities (hospital staff).
- *Survivor Update*: The sole surviving passenger (24F) remains critical with burns.---
### → *Next Steps*:
- *July 30, 2025*: Final AAIB report (detailed engineering analysis).
- *August 2025*: Int'l summit on cockpit ergonomics/safety (ICAO-led).*Sources*: [AAIB Preliminary Report](https://aaib.gov.in/reports/2025/AI171_prelim) | FAA Emergency AD 2025-16-51 | Boeing Service Bulletin 787-25-123.
The real incident behind the hoax: LATAM Flight 800
The details in the fabricated report appear to be inspired by a well-documented incident involving a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 on March 11, 2024.
On that flight from Sydney to Auckland, the aircraft experienced a sudden, severe nosedive during cruise, which resulted in injuries to approximately 50 people before the crew recovered control and landed safely.
The investigation into the LATAM incident has centered on the involuntary movement of the captain's seat. A leading theory is that a switch on the rear of the motorized seat was inadvertently activated, pushing the pilot into the control column and causing the dive. This alone is a clear indication of conflict between fact and fiction, as the false report indicates that the uncommanded movement caused the pilot to push the thrust levers, while in the real incident, the sudden motion caused the control column to go forward.
The thrust command position within the panels makes it almost impossible, while -again- it needs to be verified by the investigation, to apply all body weight to the levers.
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Following this event, Boeing reissued a Service Bulletin with instructions for inspecting the pilot seat switches. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently issued a mandatory Airworthiness Directive (AD) for all Boeing 787 aircraft to address the issue, noting the potential for "unintended and sustained movement of the seat."
Detailed Fact-Check: Hoax Report vs. Verified Reality
The following table breaks down the main assertions of the fictional report and contrasts them with verified information from official sources and credible news reporting.
| Claim from the Fictional "AAIB Report" | Verified Fact (as of June 15, 2025) |
|---|---|
| An AAIB preliminary report was released on June 25, 2025. | FALSE. No report has been released. The date itself is in the future. The official investigation is ongoing. |
| The root cause was the captain's seat sliding backward during takeoff, pulling the throttles to idle. | FALSE. No cause has been determined by investigators. This scenario is a fabrication, likely inspired by a separate incident. |
| The CVR recorded specific quotes like "My seat!" at a precise timeline. | FABRICATED. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) data is confidential to the official investigation and has not been released. |
| Wreckage confirmed fractured seat locking pins (PN: BACB30LN5S02). | NO EVIDENCE. This part number is not associated with any official findings. No specific mechanical evidence has been announced. |
| An FAA Emergency Directive (AD 2025-16-51) and Boeing Service Bulletin (787-25-123) were issued. | FALSE. These document identifiers are not real. Real directives related to pilot seats were issued after a 2024 LATAM incident, but have different numbers and contexts. |
| Air India grounded 12 aircraft with similar maintenance records. | UNCONFIRMED. There have been no official statements from Air India confirming such an action related to this specific purported cause. |
| The crash resulted in 243 onboard fatalities plus 4 on the ground. | INACCURATE. The real AI171 crash resulted in 241 fatalities on board and a number of ground casualties that are still being confirmed. |
| A final AAIB report is due July 30, 2025, and an ICAO summit is scheduled for August 2025. | FALSE. These are invented dates. No schedule for a final report or a related ICAO summit has been announced. |
| The high temperature (43°C) was a contributing factor. | SPECULATION. While Ahmedabad was hot, listing this as an official "contributing factor" is part of the fictional report, not a conclusion from the AAIB. |
In the aftermath of any tragedy, it is vital to rely on information from official sources. Documents like the one described, filled with specific but unverified details, are designed to appear credible but serve only to spread misinformation.
AUTOR
Desde 2017, haciendo periodismo aeronáutico. Award-Winning Journalist: Ganador de la edición 2023 de "Periodismo de Altura", otorgado por ALTA. Facts don't care about your feelings.
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