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Three Seconds to Disaster”:
The Story Behind Air India Flight AI 117Tragic Dual Engine Failure
On what began as an ordinary day, Air India Flight AI117 prepared for takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport.
The skies were clear, the aircraft—well-maintained and staffed by experienced pilots—was ready for its scheduled journey. Everything appeared routine. But within seconds of liftoff, something unthinkable happened.
A Smooth Takeoff Turns Sudden
At 08:08 G M T, the aircraft began its takeoff roll down the runway, accelerating steadily.
As the nose lifted and the wheels left the ground, the plane climbed with expected power.
By the third second after liftoff, it had reached a speed of around 180 knots—typical and well within safe parameters.
But right at that moment—just three seconds into the flight—the normalcy ended.
A Critical, Sudden Action
In the cockpit, both pilots were carrying out post-takeoff procedures when, inexplicably, a critical error occurred.
The fuel control switches for Engine 1 and Engine 2—the controls that allow fuel to flow to the engines—were moved from RUN to CUTOFF, almost simultaneously.
Within about one second, both switches had been thrown, one after the other. This action abruptly severed the fuel supply to both engines.
It wasn’t a mechanical fault. It wasn’t turbulence. It wasn’t a system glitch. Something, or someone, had physically moved both switches.
"Why Did You Cut Off?"
In those next few moments, the cockpit voice recorder captured a tense and confused exchange between the pilots.
“Why did you cut off?” one asked, alarm in his voice.
“I didn’t,” came the immediate reply.
This short but chilling dialogue reveals a moment of sheer disbelief. Neither pilot appeared to understand what had just occurred.
Neither had knowingly taken the action that caused both engines to shut down in mid-air—just seconds into the flight.
The Engines Wind Down
With no fuel flowing, the aircraft’s engines began winding down rapidly. The engine speeds—monitored as N1 and N2—dropped sharply.
The aircraft, now without thrust, was essentially gliding. But it wasn’t designed to glide, especially not this soon after takeoff, and especially not at low altitude.
Almost immediately, the aircraft’s emergency backup system kicked in.
The Ram Air Turbine a small wind-powered device used to generate emergency hydraulic and electrical power—deployed automatically.
This helped maintain minimal control and instrumentation, but couldn’t restart the engines or stop the descent.
