AHMEDABAD, INDIA / SEATTLE, WA – Boeing’s stock saw a significant jump on Wednesday as investors keenly awaited crucial details from the flight data recorders of Air India Flight 171. The jet tragically crashed on June 12, less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, and investigators are now reportedly focusing on the aircraft’s engine fuel switches as a potential cause.
A major update in the investigation could be imminent. The Times of India reported on Tuesday that a preliminary report had already been submitted to officials, citing “top sources,” though specific details remain undisclosed. Boeing has not yet commented on this report.
Rob Stallard, an analyst at Vertical Research Partners, highlighted in a Wednesday report that the probe is intensely examining the engine fuel switches. He noted that the issue “didn’t appear to be a design issue,” suggesting that a lack of fuel reaching the engines, for reasons yet unknown, could have led to a critical loss of power.
Shares of the commercial jet maker rallied 3.7% to close at $226.60, outpacing the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, which saw gains of 0.6% and 0.5% respectively. Boeing’s stock has shown resilience since the crash, recovering from a low of $195.28 and even hitting a new 52-week high of $230.20 on Wednesday. Since the crash, Boeing shares are up approximately 6%, while GE Aerospace, which supplied the GEnx engines for the ill-fated plane, has seen its shares rise by about 2%.
The crashed aircraft was a 12-year-old Boeing 787, boasting 41,700 flight hours across 7,800 flights. Reports confirm it underwent a comprehensive “C check” inspection in 2023, a standard procedure every 20-24 months, and its engines received an overhaul earlier this year as per typical operating guidelines.
Both of the aircraft’s “black boxes”—the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, provided by GE Aerospace—were successfully recovered. One recorder was found on June 13 on a building rooftop at the crash site, and the other was located within the debris on June 16, according to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Data extraction from these vital recorders commenced on June 24 in Delhi.
Regulations mandate that these recorders log at least 88 flight parameters, such as airspeed and altitude, though most modern units capture even more data. Voice recorders are designed to hold 25 hours of audio.
Murlidhar Mohol, India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation, confirmed in a television interview that authorities are investigating why both engines failed. Among the possibilities being explored are issues related to fuel, electrical systems, and hydraulics.
Early theories had emerged following video footage showing the 787 deploying its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) shortly before impact. RATs are emergency systems that automatically extend to provide vital electricity and hydraulic power during significant power loss by spinning in the headwind.
It remains too early for any definitive conclusions, but the preliminary report is expected to shed crucial light on the root causes of the tragedy. Air India continues to operate over 30 other 787 jets, all of which have undergone inspections since the crash without any adverse findings.
