‘Pilots Are Refusing to Fly’: Flying Beast Suggests Insider Knowledge Behind Air India 171 Crash

Following the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12 in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 270 passengers, aviation experts and former pilots have begun speculating on potential causes. While official findings from the investigation are still pending, the past week has seen a surge in flight cancellations, raising concerns and curiosity across the aviation sector.

YouTuber and former commercial pilot Gaurav Taneja, popularly known as Flying Beast, has been actively sharing his insights into airline operations and the technical aspects of the aircraft involved—the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Taneja hinted that ongoing flight disruptions may indicate that pilots have inside knowledge not yet shared with the public.

“Air India pilots are snagging aircraft, grounding them, reporting sick, and refusing to fly when uncertain,” Taneja wrote on Thursday. “Everyone—including management, engineering, operations, and the control center—works from the ground. But it’s the pilots and crew who face the risk of takeoff and landing in these machines. The pilots know something that the public doesn’t. #AirIndiaCrash.”

Growing Speculation and Theories

Taneja has previously shared several videos on his YouTube channel offering theories about the crash. One of his main points centers around the possibility of a dual engine failure. He also speculated that the aircraft may have been overloaded and that one engine might have malfunctioned before takeoff.

“The first piece of alarming information was that the aircraft used more runway than usual,” he explained in a video. “That told me I was looking at this from the wrong angle. The aircraft was likely close to its maximum takeoff weight—about 2.20 to 2.25 tonnes. If the takeoff wasn’t aborted, any engine failure must have occurred beyond the decision speed. Had both engines failed