Air India pilot’s plea when he left home before crash revealed amid claims he ‘turned off fuel switches’

AHMEDABAD, INDIA: Hours before he boarded the flight that ended in disaster, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal told his trusted security guard, “Please, take care of Papa. I will be back soon.”

That would be the last time anyone heard from the 56-year-old veteran pilot before his Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a residential area in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 passengers, 19 people on the ground, and leaving just one survivor.

The seasoned aviator, who had logged more than 8,200 hours in the sky, was leading the tragic London-bound flight that went airborne at 1:38 PM — and stayed up for just 30 seconds before losing power and crashing in a fireball.

Now, with a full-scale investigation underway, attention has turned to what might have happened in those crucial moments — and whether Sabharwal’s actions contributed to the crash.

A nightmare in the sky

According to a preliminary report, investigators found that two crucial fuel switches — designed to either start or shut down the plane’s engines — were moved from “Run” to “Cutoff” shortly before the crash. That action cut the engines off from fuel, leading to a total power loss shortly after takeoff.

The report reveals that when Sabharwal and his 28-year-old co-pilot, First Officer Clive Kunder, realized the mistake, a scramble ensued to turn the switches back on. But by then, it was already too late.

Recordings from Boeing’s black box seem to support the theory that Sabharwal himself may have been the one who flipped the switches, though there’s no video to confirm who did it.

“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other: Why did he cut off? The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report stated.

However, the switches were found in the “run” position at the crash site, meaning someone had tried to undo the error. One engine had begun relighting but failed to gain power, while the other was still recovering. The plane never made it past its landing gear, which hadn't been retracted.

“As the pilot actively flying, [First Officer] Kunder likely would have had his hands full pulling back on the Dreamliner’s controls at that stage of the flight,” US pilots familiar with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report told The Wall Street Journal. That would leave Sabharwal, who was monitoring, as the only other person who could have flipped the switches.

Capt Sabharwal remembered as a 'gentle soul' with 'sad' eyes

To those who knew Sabharwal, the theory that he’d intentionally jeopardize a flight sounds ludicrous. He was described by friends and colleagues as a “gentle soul,” a disciplined pro who had never faced any major incident in decades of flying.

“He had absolutely no airs about himself, so humble, so respectful. Always a smile when he spoke to you,” said Neil Pais, 61, a former colleague, to The Telegraph. “I never once saw him raise his voice or lose his temper. And yet he never compromised on work or safety. If there was an issue, he'd point it out, but always in the nicest possible way.”

Despite earning the nickname “Sad Sack” for his "melancholic eyes," Sabharwal was deeply admired. “He was deeply charismatic and always ready to help,” said fellow pilot and close friend Captain Kapil Kohal.

But that sadness, it turns out, was real and rooted in heartbreak.

Sabharwal had been struggling emotionally since the death of his mother in 2022. He separated from his wife and relocated from Delhi to Mumbai to be closer to his 90-year-old father, Pushkaraj. Friends say he considered retiring to become a full-time caregiver to his father.

According to building security guard Sunil Lokhande, Sabharwal would often come by “for two or three days” to see his dad, take him on evening strolls, and even buy fresh fruits and vegetables, which he’d share with the staff.

“He would also give me money to buy meals,” Lokhande recalled.

Investigators probe Sumeet Sabharwal's mental health

Now, the investigation is also exploring the mental health angle. Several Air India pilots have reportedly told authorities that Sabharwal was not in the best emotional state. He took bereavement leave after his mother’s death, though Air India eventually declared him “medically cleared” to return to duty.

That clearance is now under scrutiny.

Aviation experts have slammed the mid-air switch flip as “absolutely bizarre.” Pilots are trained to only toggle those fuel switches at specific points in the flight. Cutting them off seconds after takeoff — when the plane is most vulnerable — is considered inexplicable unless it was a deliberate act or a severe error.

Sunday’s preliminary report raised questions about whether it was sabotage or a tragic misstep.

Both pilots had reportedly gotten adequate rest before the flight, and breath analyser tests found them “fit to operate.”