One year after AI-171 crash, questions about pilots’ bodies delay release of final probe report
The June 2025 incident claimed 261 lives — 242 on board and 19 on the ground in the hostel premises of BJ Medical College, where the Boeing 787 crashed. | Photo credit: Vijay Soneji
On the first anniversary of the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, the Federation of Indian Pilots questioned the delay in issuing the final investigation report. It urged authorities not to release the incomplete interim report, warning it could increase confusion and speculation about the cause of the crash.
“It’s one year since the crash. Why can’t the AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) investigate a 32 second flight?” asked federation president CS Randhawa at a press conference in Ahmedabad.
The June 2025 incident claimed 261 lives — 242 on board and 19 on the ground at the hostel premises of BJ Medical College, where the Boeing 787 crashed. A preliminary investigation report found that the plane’s fuel control switches had moved to the off position, cutting off the fuel supply to the engines shortly before the crash. While the report stopped short of determining whether the switch movement was the result of an intentional action or an oversight or technical failure, it included a brief pilot exchange between the plane’s two pilots that sparked widespread speculation about the cause of the accident.
The Pilots Association condemned the inclusion of the excerpt, saying it helped create a story about pilot involvement before the investigation reached its final conclusion. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), along with Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the father of the flight commander, Sumeet Sabharwal, approached the Supreme Court seeking an independent, judicially monitored investigation into the crash.
On Wednesday, Mr Randhawa warned that the incomplete, interim report could cause further confusion. “If there are no conclusive conclusions, we have asked the government to wait for the conclusion of the investigation and publish the final report,” he added.
Comment | The forgotten co-pilot of Air India Flight 171
“Engine data is analyzed in the US”
United Nations Aviation Safety Oversight Organization International Civil Aviation Organization standards recommend that the final accident investigation report be released “as soon as possible” and, if possible, within 12 months of the event.
However, the government invoked a provision that allows states to issue an interim statement on each anniversary of the accident if a final report cannot be completed within a year. Such a statement is necessary to outline the progress of the investigation and to highlight any safety issues identified in the probe.
Government officials said an interim report on the Air India AI-171 crash would be released on Thursday. They added that the manufacturer’s plants in the United States were still analyzing data from the aircraft’s engines, which are made by US General Electric, which contributed to the delay in issuing the final report.
Officials also said it took an average of 20-22 months for countries to complete investigations, based on an analysis of accident investigation data.
According to the annual safety report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), between 2018 and 2025 there were 374 aviation accidents worldwide, of which 52 were fatal. However, final investigation reports have only been published in 47% of these cases, with the remaining investigations still ongoing.
Captain Amit Singh, founder of the Safety Matters Foundation, said there were sufficient indications of possible electrical failures to warrant a thorough investigation rather than prematurely attributing the crash to pilot actions. “When the plane took off, smoke can be seen coming from the wheels, which could indicate a failure of the braking system, which is electronic,” he told a news conference. He claimed that the emergency locator transmitter also did not work, which could also be due to an electrical fault.
Published – 11 Jun 2026 21:33 IST