Your example is simplistic and mundanely obvious. There is only one possibility.
The first hull loss of a 787 in over 15 years of flying is the opposite of simple and the only obvious thing about such an event is that it is complex.
https://www.indiatoday.in/the-lowdown/story/air-india-crash-boeing-787-8-ahmedabad-fuel-failure-scenarios-the-lowdown-2754763-2025-07-12
It explores four scenarios: Incompetence, technical failure, pilot sabotage, system sabotage. The pilots both seem to have been very stable with futures to look forward to and enjoy.
3. Intentional Pilot Sabotage
Scenario: One pilot deliberately moved both fuel control switches to ‘cutoff’ with the intent to crash the aircraft, potentially as an act of suicide or murder-suicide, possibly driven by psychological distress or personal motives. The CVR’s dialogue suggests one pilot was unaware of the action, consistent with a deliberate act by the other.
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Pilot Profiles: Sabharwal was a veteran instructor nearing retirement with no known issues. Kunder (32, 3,400 hours) was a qualified co-pilot with a clean record. Both passed breathalyzer tests and had no reported mental health concerns.
Historical Precedents: Germanwings Flight 9525 (2015): Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked out the captain and crashed the plane by setting the autopilot to descend, killing 150. Motive: concealed depression and suicidal tendencies.
EgyptAir Flight 990 (1999): Co-pilot Gameel al-Batouti likely crashed the plane by disengaging the autopilot and diving, killing 217. Motive unclear, possibly personal stressors.
Evidence For: The switch safeguards require deliberate action, as noted by experts like John Nance (BBC, July 2025) and Captain Steve in his Youtube podcast. Both argue that the one-second-apart movement matches manual operation.
CVR Evidence: The confusion and denial in the CVR suggest a unilateral act. The low altitude and rapid sequence (32 seconds to crash) make recovery from intentional sabotage logistically impossible.
Evidence Against: No known motive or mental health issues for either pilot, unlike the Germanwings or EgyptAir cases. Sabharwal’s retirement plans and Kunder’s clean record suggest stability.
The return of switches to RUN and one engine’s brief relight suggest a recovery attempt, inconsistent with suicidal intent.
The July 11, 2025, preliminary report on Air India Flight 171 confirms that the crash resulted from a dual-engine shutdown caused by both fuel control switches moving to CUTOFF, with pilot confusion recorded on the CVR. The Western media seems eager to promote the sabotage theory, hinting at mental health issues with one of the pilots. But no definitive evidence confirms intentional action by the pilots or ground personnel.
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