DEEP DIVE REPORT: Air India 171’s black box reveals the captain touched the throttle exactly when the seat slid — a reflex that turned fatal

DEEP DIVE REPORT: Air India Flight 171 Black Box Reveals Captain’s Fatal Throttle Reflex as Seat Slid

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed 30 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of 242 onboard and at least 29 on the ground. The disaster, the first fatal crash of a 787 Dreamliner, has been linked to a faulty captain’s seat locking mechanism that slid backward, reducing throttle settings and starving the engines of thrust. A deep dive into the black box data—comprising the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR)—reveals a critical detail: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal touched the throttle levers exactly as his seat slid, triggering a reflex that turned fatal. This 1,000-word report analyzes the black box findings, their implications, and the cascade of failures that led to one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters. 






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