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.

Ten months after the tragic Air India plane crash that killed 260 persons, bereaved families of the victims have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the release of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and black box data.

Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London, crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here on June 12, 2025.

The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground.

Around 30 bereaved families from across Gujarat met in Ahmedabad on Saturday (April 4, 2026), and wrote a letter to the PM, requesting the release of the CVR and ‘black box’ (Flight Data Recorder) data to uncover the truth behind the calamity.

“We want to know the truth about what caused the crash and whether there was any technical problem,” they said.

The letter, copies of which were sent to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, stated that if the black box data cannot be made public, it should at least be shared with the victims’ families, privately.

“My home feels empty now,” said Nilesh Purohit, who lost his 24-year-old son in the crash. “No amount of compensation can fill this void. We don’t want money, we just want to know what happened,” he said.

For many, the pain is compounded by a perceived lack of institutional support.

Kinjal Patel from Vasad, who lost her mother, described the difficulty of using the website created by Air India recently to help families recover victims’ belongings.

“There are over 25,000 items listed, but the images are unclear. It’s almost impossible to find anything,” she said.

Others voiced concerns over the lack of accessible communication channels. Romin Vora from Kheda, who lost his mother, brother, and daughter, spoke about the struggles faced by families unfamiliar with digital tools.

“There is only one email ID, and responses take up to 15 days. Many people in villages don’t even know how to use email,” he said.

He also expressed discomfort over the public display of personal belongings on the portal, calling it insensitive.

The airline’s response was awaited.

The AAIB had submitted its preliminary probe report on the aircrash in July last year, and is likely to submit the final report in June, around the first anniversary of the tragedy.