One year since AI-171 crash, pilots body questions delay in releasing final probe report

On the first anniversary of the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, the Indian Pilots’ Federation questioned the delay in releasing the final investigation report. He called on authorities not to publish an incomplete interim report, warning that this could increase confusion and speculation about the cause of the crash.

“It’s been a year since the accident. Why is AAIB [Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau] Can’t we investigate a 32-second flight?” Federation president CS Randhawa asked this question at a press conference in Ahmedabad.

261 people lost their lives in the incident in June 2025; of these, 242 were on the plane and 19 were on the ground in the hostel of BJ Medical College where the Boeing 787 crashed. A preliminary investigation report revealed that the plane’s fuel control switches had moved to the cut-off position, interrupting the fuel supply to the engines moments before the crash. The report also included a brief cockpit exchange between the aircraft’s two pilots that led to widespread speculation about the cause of the crash, although it was not determined whether the button movement was the result of a deliberate action, accidental, or a technical malfunction.

Pilot associations condemned the inclusion of the quote, arguing that it contributed to creating a narrative about the pilots’ involvement before the investigation reached a definitive conclusion. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), along with Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, father of flight commander Sumeet Sabharwal, approached the Supreme Court seeking an independent, judicially monitored investigation into the crash.

On Wednesday, Mr. Randhawa warned that an incomplete, interim report could cause further confusion. “If there is no conclusive finding, we have asked the government to wait until the investigation is concluded and publish the final report,” he added.

Comment | The forgotten co-pilot of Air India flight 171

‘Engine data is analyzed in the USA’

Norms from the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN aviation safety watchdog, recommend that the final accident investigation report be published “as soon as possible” and, where possible, within 12 months of the incident occurring.

However, the government invoked a provision allowing states to issue an interim statement on each anniversary of the crash if the final report cannot be completed within a year. Such a statement is necessary to summarize the progress of the investigation and highlight the security issues identified in the investigation.

An interim report on the Air India AI-171 crash will be released on Thursday, government officials said. They added that analysis of data from the aircraft’s engines manufactured by US-based General Electric was still ongoing at the manufacturer’s facilities in the US, which contributed to the delay in the release of the final report.

Officials also said that, based on analysis of crash investigation data, it takes countries an average of 20-22 months to conclude an investigation.

According to the annual safety report of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 374 aviation accidents were recorded worldwide between 2018 and 2025, of which 52 were fatal. However, final investigation reports have been published in only 47% of these cases, with the remaining investigations still ongoing.

Capt. Amit Singh, founder of the Safety Matters Foundation, said that rather than prematurely blaming the crash on pilot actions, there was enough indication of possible electrical malfunctions to warrant a thorough investigation. “Smoke from the wheels can be seen as the aircraft takes off, which may indicate a malfunction in the electronic braking system,” he told a press conference. He claimed that the emergency detection transmitter was also not working, which could be due to an electrical fault.