32: Air India Flight 171
Investigating Flight 171’s fuel cutoff, xenon enhanced Everest ascents, and cloud seeding amid US floods.
140000Z JUL 25
Welcome to Flightlines - a briefing that highlights notable stories in aviation, travel, and exploration, offering concise digests that bring the journey to life. With clarity, we’ll report on the developments shaping how we move through and understand our world, aiming always to inspire curiosity and deeper exploration.
In this issue we take a look at the AAIB’s preliminary findings on the crash of Air India Flight 171, the experimental use of xenon gas in rapid Everest ascents, and cloud-seeding operations amid recent US floods.
Air India Flight 171
Roughly one month ago on June 12th, 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 260 people.
Investigators have determined that both engines lost power almost immediately: the jet’s fuel control switches somehow flipped from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” just seconds into the climb, starving the engines of fuel.
Cockpit voice recordings captured one pilot urgently asking the other why he had cut off the fuel, with the second pilot replying that he had not. This confirmed the engines were shut down by fuel starvation, though why those switches were moved into the cutoff position remains unknown and under investigation.
The 787’s fuel levers are designed to prevent inadvertent toggling, so experts are examining possible mechanical or electronic malfunctions. Investigators note the switches are spaced apart, are guarded by metal brackets, and require a deliberate pull before they can be moved, making an accidental shutoff highly unlikely.
One hypothesis is that a safety latch failure could have let the vibration and inertia of takeoff (around 180 knots airspeed) jostle the switches back to “CUTOFF” on its own. Some have raised the possibility of deliberate human action, given the physical safeguards on the fuel switches. This theory implies that one pilot might have intentionally pulled both fuel cutoff switches mid-flight, although no evidence of malicious intent has emerged.
Pilot unions have strongly objected to any premature blame on the crew. For now, officials urge patience while the investigation continues and stress that most air disasters stem from a chain of factors rather than a single cause.
A final report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is not expected for several months, so the exact cause of Flight 171’s tragedy will remain an open question. Read more about the incident and report at Reuters.
A Rapid Ascent of Mt. Everest
This May, four British former special forces soldiers, guided by Austrian climber Lukas Furtenbach, summited Mt. Everest just five days after departing London. They did so by using a medically supervised xenon gas treatment in Germany, combined with hypoxic tent training at home.
Xenon is an inert anesthetic gas believed to promote red blood cell production and potentially speeds up acclimatization. Typically, climbers wait at Mt. Everest’s base camp to endure a slow acclimatization for up to 40 days.
The use of the training technique has stirred up controversy in the climbing world. Purists worry it breaks the traditional spirit of mountaineering, akin to doping, and might pressure inexperienced climbers into risky shortcuts.
Furtenbach argues that using xenon improves safety and reduces environmental impact. The shorter time on the mountain means less waste and fewer logistical burdens.
There's no conclusive scientific proof as to whether xenon truly aids acclimatization or performance at extreme altitudes. All results in the field remain anecdotal. Currently xenon is legal in climbing, but the debate continues and Nepalese authorities consider whether intervention is needed. Read more about the ascent and the controversy at National Geographic.
Cloud Seeding and US Flooding
Earlier this month, Texas endured catastrophic flash floods, claiming over 120 lives and washing away communities along the Guadalupe River. Around the same time, cloud seeding operations by Rainmaker Technology had taken place in parts of Texas. This sparked social media and political claims that artificially created rainfall caused, or worsened, the floods.
Cloud seeding is a technology that enhances a cloud's ability to produce precipitation. By dispersing tiny particles of silver iodide, dry ice, or salts, via aircraft or ground stations, the process can encourage the formation of water droplets, which helps clouds release rain more readily.
Meteorologists have dismissed any link between cloud seeding and major flooding events. Seeding can boost rainfall by up to 20%, but cannot trigger large scale storms. It is a real, controlled practice with mixed effectiveness. Typical operations boost precipitation by fractions of an inch, and do not cause deluges.
The EPA has issued scientific clarifications to debunk weather‑modification claims, and Congressional hearings on climate geoengineering have been proposed. Read more about the relationship between cloud seeding and the Texas floods at the Associated Press. —✈
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Thank you for reading.
Flightlines will be back next week with more insights and updates from the world of commercial aviation.
Until then, safe travels and happy flying!
Welcome back! Digging the subtle rebrand in the intro 👏
While it seems possible (though unlikely) that a switch failure allowed a switch to vibrate into a closed position, it seems exceptionally unlikely (to me) that two simultaneous switch failures cut off fuel to both engines.