Air India: Families of 260 crash victims still await final report, amid suicide speculation

A year has passed since a catastrophic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, India, claimed the lives of 260 people. The aircraft plummeted to the ground just 32 seconds after takeoff, leaving a trail of devastation and unanswered questions.

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The investigation is still ongoing.

International regulations mandate that the state investigating an accident must publish a final report within one year. If this is not possible, interim updates on the investigation should be released annually. However, India failed to publish either on the anniversary of the crash. The country's Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) stated that the investigation is still ongoing, citing delays primarily in the examination of the plane's engines.

Initial reports indicated that the crash was caused by a disruption in the aircraft's fuel supply, with two switches moving from the "run" position to "cutoff." The AAIB's initial 15-page report, released a month after the accident, revealed a dialogue in the cockpit where one pilot asked the other why the fuel supply was cut off, receiving the response, "I didn't do it." This exchange fueled speculation in international media, with many outlets publishing expert analyses suggesting the crash was a deliberate act of suicide by the captain.

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Selective and irresponsible.

The AAIB publicly criticized this reporting as "selective" and "irresponsible." Retired air accident investigator Tim Atkinson, interviewed by the BBC, noted that blaming the captain is "unusually convenient for all parties involved" – regulators, the airline, and the aircraft manufacturer – as it deflects responsibility. Both the Indian Pilots' Guild and the captain's father have publicly defended the pilot. Meanwhile, theories persist, including one from Indian investigative journalist Rachel Chitra suggesting a central system failure, and another from Atkinson and others who remain convinced of pilot suicide. The exact cause remains under investigation, with families of the victims still awaiting a definitive report.

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It is unusually convenient for all parties involved.