Atul Goswami, father of 19-year-old Sanket Goswami who died in the Air India AI171 crash, has expressed dissatisfaction with the preliminary investigation report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), urging the government to conduct a deeper probe and hold those responsible accountable.
Sanket, a promising student headed to London for a three-year degree program, was one of the 241 passengers killed when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. The crash also claimed the life of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, making it one of India’s deadliest air disasters in recent history.
“My son was just 19. Our family depended on him. We are living through a nightmare,” said Atul Goswami. “We are not satisfied with the report. We request the government to conduct a thorough investigation and take strict action against those responsible.”
The AAIB’s preliminary report, released on Friday, revealed that a critical failure occurred just 90 seconds after takeoff, when both engines shut down simultaneously, causing the aircraft to lose thrust and plummet. According to the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), the fuel cutoff switches for both engines were inexplicably moved from RUN to CUTOFF in quick succession.
One of the cockpit recordings captured a pilot questioning, “Why did you cut off?”—with the other replying, “I did not.” Despite efforts to restart the engines, only one began recovering, and the aircraft continued to descend. The final “MAYDAY” distress call was issued at 08:09 UTC, moments before the plane struck a hostel building at BJ Medical College.
As the grieving families await justice and answers, calls are growing louder for a full-scale, transparent investigation into potential technical faults or lapses in protocol that may have led to the catastrophe.
