Fake Social Media Post Goes Viral as Real Findings of the AAIB Air India Report

PIB fact-check denied the viral post as the original report.

Fact-Check: This social media post does not contain the real findings of the AAIB report.

(Source: The Quint) 

A post claiming to note the contents of the report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the Air India Boeing 737 crash in Ahmedabad on 12 June has gone viral on social media platforms.

• The post noted that the root cause was identified as the "unintended thrust reduction triggered by the captain’s seat sliding backwards during rotation." (sic.)

• It also alleges details about mechanical failure, a flight deck timeline and contributing factors, amongst others.

• The post also contains a link cited as 'source' to the alleged information.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• These contents have not been released by the AAIB. Their actual report was published on 12 July.

• The Press Information Bureau (PIB)'s fact-check unit also denied the credibility of these posts.

What we found: At first, we opened the link in the post cited as the "source," not opening. It showed a "404 - Not Found error."

Here is the preview of the page. 

(Source: Facebook)

• We found a press release by the PIB dated 26 June.

• It noted that two black boxes, one recovered from a rooftop on 13 June and another from the wreckage on 16 June were kept securely in Ahmedabad under continuous police protection and CCTV surveillance.

• On 24 June, both black boxes from the Air India crash were flown to Delhi by the Indian Air Force.

• Data extraction began the same day under the supervision of AAIB and NTSB experts.

• By 25 June, cockpit voice data was recovered, and analysis is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

We, then, found a post by PIB fact-check from 16 June which denied the claims made by the viral social media posts.

What did the AAIB report say?:

• On 12 July, the AAIB released its 15-page preliminary report on the Air India crash that took place in Ahmedabad on 12 June.

• The report noted that the both engine fuel control switches transitioned from “RUN” to “CUTOFF,” leading to a sudden and simultaneous loss of thrust.

• The cockpit voice recordings captured the pilots’ confusion, with one asking why fuel had been cut off and the other denying responsibility, stating “I didn’t do it.”

• Investigators emphasised that the switches were mechanically locked, making accidental activation unlikely, though whether the cutoff resulted from deliberate action, mechanical fault, or software glitch remains unresolved.

• The AAIB managed to retrieve and decode both flight data and voice recorder data in India, marking a significant milestone in India’s investigative capabilities.

• The preliminary report does not assign blame to Air India, Boeing, or engine maker GE, nor does it point to technical defects beyond the fuel switch behaviour.

Conclusion: The viral social media post were fake and not released by the AAIB.

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