Today marks one year since the tragic accident involving Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating from Ahmedabad to London, which occurred shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, on 12 June 2025.
| Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
The evidence gathered in the investigation into last year’s Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad is currently undergoing comprehensive analysis, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in an interim statement on Friday (June 12, 2026).
The final report will be released only after all investigative work has been completed and the required international review and consultation processes have been concluded, it added.
“The evidence gathered and the results of various examinations are currently being analysed in a comprehensive and integrated manner,” the AAIB said in a press statement.
The final accident report will be published once all investigative work has been completed and the mandatory international review and consultation procedures have been concluded, it added. Separately, the Minister for Civil Aviation said in a post on X that the government is committed “to a thorough and objective determination of the causes of the accident.”
“Significant progress has been made in the examination and analysis of aircraft systems, flight recorder data, engine-related components, maintenance and operational records, and other evidence relevant to the investigation,” according to the statement.
Comment | The forgotten copilot of Air India flight 171
It also said that the investigation team has carried out a detailed examination of all aspects of the accident, including technical, operational, organisational and human factors. The probe has been assisted by accredited representatives, technical experts and specialists from the organisations involved.
The UN aviation safety watchdog’s Annex 13 on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation says that States must bring out a final report as soon as possible, and if possible, within 12 months, otherwise they must publish an interim statement on each anniversary of the occurrence.
A preliminary investigation report into the AI-171 crash found that the aircraft’s fuel control switches had moved to the cut-off position, interrupting fuel supply to the engines moments before the crash.
While the report stopped short of determining whether the switch movement was the result of a deliberate action or inadvertently done or a technical malfunction, it included a brief cockpit exchange between the plane’s two pilots that has triggered widespread speculation on the cause of the accident.
Pilot associations have condemned the inclusion of the excerpt, arguing that it has contributed to the building of a narrative around pilot involvement before the investigation reached a definitive conclusion.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), along with Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, father of the flight’s commander, Sumeet Sabharwal, have approached the Supreme Court, seeking an independent, judicially monitored investigation into the crash.
Published – June 12, 2026 06:51 pm IST
