Top 5 Aviation Accidents and Incidents That Shocked The World: Air India, Malaysia Airlines and More

A chilling detail from the preliminary report into the crash of Air India Flight 171 has reignited conspiracy discussions not just about the accident itself, but about the twisted world of aviation disasters. The flight, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad in June, killing all but one of the 242 people on board.

Investigators found that both engine fuel-control switches had abruptly been set to 'cut-off,' a command typically executed only after landing. The plane lost power almost immediately, and though one engine began to relight, the aircraft was airborne for less than a minute before plummeting into a crowded neighbourhood.

In the reports, it is mentioned that the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other, 'Why did you do the cut-off?' to which the other replied, 'I didn't.' That exchange, brief and unexplained, has only added to the mystery.

Was it an accident? A malfunction? Or something more deliberate?

The details, so far, remain inconclusive. However, they echo the unanswered questions that still linger around other aviation incidents, which continue to provoke suspicion. Here are five aviation cases that, like Flight 171, continue to haunt air travel.

1. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 : The Ghost in Air

No list of aviation disaster mysteries is complete without MH370. In 2014, the Boeing 777 disappeared on radar with 239 people on board en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite extensive searches, only scattered debris has been found.

Theories range from pilot suicide, which was supported by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's home simulator data, to hijacking, cyberattack, or even interception by a foreign power. The final report could not definitively rule out third-party involvement. Eleven years later, MH370 remains one of the biggest mysteries of all time.

2. United Airlines Flight 553: The 'Watergate Crash'

On December 8, 1972, United Flight 553 crashed short of Chicago's Midway Airport. Forty-five people were killed, including Dorothy Hunt, wife of CIA agent E. Howard Hunt. Now, the interesting part here is that Hunt was one of the men behind the Watergate break-in, and his wife was reportedly carrying $10,000 in cash on that flight.

Conspiracy theorists point to the presence of several intelligence-linked passengers and the unusual speed of the FBI's arrival at the scene. Some believe the crash was an orchestrated act to silence potential whistleblowers connected to Watergate.

3. The Kashmir Princess Bombing: Missed Assassination?

In 1955, the Kashmir Princess, a chartered Air India flight carrying Chinese delegates, exploded mid-air after taking off from Hong Kong and crashed into the South China Sea. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, who was instrumental in crafting China's image on the global scale, was meant to be on board, but missed the flight at the last minute.

Investigators suspected a bomb planted by Taiwanese agents using CIA-supplied materials. While Taiwan denied involvement, Zhou's narrow escape and the subsequent propaganda victory for China have long fuelled suspicions of a politically calculated hit.

4. Arrow Air Flight 1285: A Military Mystery

On December 12 1985, a chartered flight carrying 248 US troops crashed shortly after take-off in Gander, Newfoundland. The Canadian investigation cited possible ice accumulation, but four board members dissented, citing 'detonations of undetermined origin.'

Rumours swirled about a terrorist bomb, mishandled cargo, or a cover-up. One investigator even wrote a book arguing the crash was too complex to be purely mechanical. The case remains the deadliest aviation disaster on Canadian soil and one of the most contested.

5. British South American Airways Star Ariel

On January 17, 1949, the Avro Tudor Mark IV, Star Ariel, vanished over the Bermuda Triangle en route from Bermuda to Jamaica. The pilot reported clear skies and no issues, but radio contact ceased suddenly an hour after takeoff. No wreckage or bodies were ever recovered.

According to reports, British investigators were left with no clues and concluded the cause was 'unknown.' The disappearance only deepened the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, a region long associated with unexplained vanishings of ships and aircraft.

Back to Flight 171

As for the Air India crash, despite existing reports, much remains uncertain. Investigators are still analysing who touched the fuel switches and why. Both pilots were experienced professionals and had passed fitness tests and had rested adequately. The aircraft's systems were reportedly functioning properly, and weather conditions were clear.

Until the cockpit voice recordings are fully analysed and voice identifications confirmed, the question remains wide open: Was it an error, a malfunction, or something beyond? Meanwhile, like so many cases before it, Flight 171 sits uncomfortably in the grey area between accident and unanswered conspiracy.