Air India AI 171 crash: FIP writes to aviation minister, requests inclusion of technical background in AAIB report

More than a year has passed since the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 shortly after take-off on 12 June 2025 in Ahmedabad that killed at least 260 people, including all but one on board, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is yet to complete its investigation report.

FIP writes to Rammohan Naidu: Details

On Friday, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) wrote a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation asking it to ensure that its technical background on the air crash is formally considered before the probe report is finalised, ANI reported, adding that the AAIB’s investigation into the AI 171 crash is at an advanced stage.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, the FIP called for the group to be nominated as an “independent technical participant in the review of the AI171 Draft Final Investigation Report”. Further, the FIP stated that it is now “reliably established that the Government/Ministry has ordered or is considering requiring the draft report to undergo review by an independent committee before it is circulated/finalised”.

She also said that any review should include a professional pilot’s perspective, adding: “An independent review that does not include an appropriate professional pilot’s perspective would leave an important technical dimension underrepresented.” The FIP further said that a “transparent and technically independent review” that includes “meaningful representation of the professional pilot community” would be in line with the broader objective of enhancing aviation safety in India.

In this context, the body representing commercial pilots stated that if an independent review mechanism were to be established, it should be formally involved in the process as an independent technical stakeholder representing the professional pilot community.

FIP reports irregularities in AAIB report

According to media reports, the FIP has previously pointed out what it describes as discrepancies between the AAIB’s preliminary report and independent assessments of the simulator, particularly regarding the timing of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment and the availability of hydraulic power. A RAT is a small propeller-driven generator that is deployed from an aircraft to provide emergency power when engines fail.

The FIP flagged the irregularities after an initial AAIB report revealed the fuel system cut off at around 1.38pm, with the RAT starting to deliver hydraulic power around four seconds later. According to the FIP, simulator testing revealed that the power generated by the RAT was only available for about 18 seconds after the fuel system was cut. The federation also raised questions about the differences in takeoff performance timing between the preliminary report and the simulator tests.

FIP strives for a detailed evaluation of electrical system records

Last week, the pilots’ body asked India’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the electrical system evidence related to the Boeing 787 aircraft during the detailed investigation into the AI 171 crash. In a letter to the director general of the AAIB, FIP wrote: “As you know, the Boeing 787 is one of the most electrically dependent commercial aircraft ever produced. Numerous systems traditionally powered by pneumatic or hydraulic means have been replaced by electric powered systems. As a result, the reliability, integrity, and interaction of electrical generation, distribution, monitoring, central flight control, data networks, and aeronautical networks are aircraft.”