The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday announced its investigation into the crash. Air IndiaIts flight AI 171 in June last year was still continuing And it reached no final conclusion.
Wreckage of Air India Flight 171 after it crashed into a residential area near Ahmedabad airport on June 13, 2025. (AFP file)In a strongly-worded statement, the AAIB said reports that the crash investigation had been concluded were “erroneous and speculative”.
“The investigation is still ongoing. No final conclusions have been reached,” the bureau said in a clarification Thursday. The statement came a day after Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, citing sources in Western aviation firms, said Indian investigators were preparing to say in a final report that Air India Flight 171 crashed because a pilot turned off the plane’s fuel switch in an “almost certain” deliberate act.
Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 260 people – 241 of 242 on board and 19 on the ground when the plane crashed into a medical student hostel 32 seconds after losing thrust from two engines.
The AAIB’s initial report, released in July last year, noted that both engine fuel control switches had moved from RUN to CUTOFF shortly after takeoff, causing a loss of thrust. Cockpit voice recorders question one pilot over cutoff, another denies responsibility, sparking global debate over pilot error versus mechanical failure.
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The AAIB’s statement on Thursday noted that the report contained only factual information available at the time.
“The preliminary report published earlier provided factual information available at that stage. The final investigation report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be released after the investigation is completed in accordance with established international norms,” the statement said.
It added that the AAIB conducted the investigation strictly in accordance with India’s obligations under the Aviation (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 and ICAO Annex 13.
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“Airline accident investigations are technical, evidence-based processes aimed at determining root causes and improving safety,” it said.
The AAIB urged media organizations to avoid premature speculation, saying that unnecessary reporting could cause public concern and undermine the integrity of ongoing professional investigations.
The Bureau reiterated its commitment to the highest standards of transparency, procedural integrity and aviation safety.
Mark D. Martin, an aviation safety consultant and founder of Martin Consulting, said the bureau’s insistence that the preliminary report released in July only reflected information available “at that stage” was significant.
“Rarely in the history of its work has the AAIB issued such a strongly worded clarification,” Martin said, adding that the reference to the initial report highlighted the information available at the time that the investigation remained open.
“It reinforces that conclusions will be reached only after a thorough examination of all material facts,” he said.
