Investigation into AI171 plane crash in progress, no final conclusions have been reached: AAIB

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday said the probe into the Air India AI171 plane crash last year is still in progress and no final conclusions have been reached. Issuing a clarification, AAIB said media reports suggesting that the investigation into the accident has been finalised are ''incorrect and speculative''. In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, a total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. ''The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,'' AAIB said in a statement, and added that aircraft accident investigations are technical, evidence-based processes aimed at determining root causes and enhancing safety. Further, the agency noted that the preliminary report released earlier provided factual information available at that stage. ''The final investigation report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be published upon completion of the investigation in line with established international norms,'' it said. Also, the AAIB urged media organisations to exercise restraint and avoid premature speculation. ''Unverified reporting causes unnecessary public anxiety and undermines the integrity of an ongoing professional investigation.'' ''AAIB remains fully committed to transparency, procedural integrity and the highest standards of aviation safety,'' the statement said. In its preliminary report on the crash that was released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off. ''In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,'' it had said. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to file a brief report on the ''procedural protocol'' followed so far, after it was informed that the AAIB's investigation into the plane crash is at its fag end.