AI-171: A year on, no cause, no closure

Nearly a year after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, an update on the investigation is expected from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The flight, which departed Ahmedabad for London Gatwick on June 12, 2025, with 242 people aboard, crashed shortly after takeoff. The accident claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew, along with 19 people on the ground, with only one passenger surviving.

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It is essentially an update that investigating authorities are expected to provide when a final report cannot be released within a year.

According to officials, the upcoming update will outline the work completed and areas still under examination. However, it is not expected to provide a definitive cause for the crash. The central question, whether the fuel to both engines was intentionally cut or resulted from a mechanical fault, has divided investigators, pilots, and legal experts since the inquiry began.

Under Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, states are required to publish a final report within a year of an accident or, failing that, issue a progress update. This update is shared with international stakeholders. However, the Federation of Indian Pilots has urged the civil aviation ministry not to release the update, warning it could exacerbate confusion rather than provide clarity. They fear that another inconclusive report will fuel further speculation about human intervention, building on the preliminary report's single sentence about the cockpit transcript.

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It will provide a sense of where the investigation stands and the work that has been completed. But it should not be seen as a document that will establish the cause of the accident.

What is known is that the cockpit voice recorder captured a pilot asking why fuel to an engine was cut off, with the other pilot responding that he had not done so. Both engines lost power, leading to the Boeing 787-8's descent onto a college canteen. The preliminary report, released a month after the crash, documented these details, but the examination of the engines is still ongoing, leaving the ultimate cause of the disaster unresolved.

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In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.