Air India AI-171 Probe: AAIB says international experts part of probe, final report by October

The update came during a hearing on petitions seeking a court-monitored investigation into the June 12, 2025 crash that killed 260 people. 

Probe not limited To DGCA officials

The government-run investigation body made it clear before the Supreme Court that the probe is not an “in-house” exercise being carried out only by officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). 

The AAIB said the investigation also involves experts and officials from other countries whose citizens were among those killed in the crash. 

The case was heard by a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The court heard arguments from the petitioners as well as the AAIB. 

The petitions have been filed by the father of Captain Sumit Sabharwal and the Federation of Indian Pilots. They have asked the Supreme Court to order a court-monitored investigation, claiming that there are discrepancies in the ongoing probe. 

Officials told the court that the investigation involves detailed technical work, including simulations and analysis, to reconstruct what happened in the moments before the crash and find out what caused the tragedy. 

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the AAIB, assured the court that the final report would be submitted in a sealed cover by October. 

Final report to be submitted by October

The AAIB had earlier indicated that the final report would be ready by January. Explaining why the investigation has taken longer than expected, Mehta told the court that several aircraft components had to be sent abroad for specialised forensic and technical tests. 

The components were later brought back to India, but the process took additional time, he said.

The Supreme Court has now directed the AAIB to submit the final report in October. The matter has been listed for hearing in the last week of October.

What Happened In The Air India Crash? 

Air India flight AI-171 was flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it crashed just seconds after taking off on the afternoon of June 12, 2025.

The crash killed all 12 crew members and 229 of the 230 passengers on board. The plane also crashed into the hostel of a medical college in Ahmedabad, killing 19 people on the ground.

Only one passenger survived the crash. 

Petitioners had earlier sought court-monitored probe

The petitions filed before the Supreme Court had sought a court-monitored investigation into the AI-171 crash, alleging shortcomings in the ongoing probe.

During earlier hearings, the petitioners had questioned whether the investigation was independent. They had also raised concerns over the AAIB’s preliminary report and called for all relevant evidence linked to the crash to be preserved and examined.

The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Centre to respond to the petitions and submit a status report on the investigation before deciding whether judicial intervention was required in the matter.

What did the initial probe find? 

An initial investigation found that, just seconds before the crash, the fuel control switches of both engines moved from the “RUN” position to “CUTOFF”.

About a month after the crash, the AAIB released a preliminary report looking into the possible cause of the tragedy.

The report mentioned a conversation between Captain Sumit Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar that was recorded in the cockpit.

According to the report, one pilot was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” The other pilot replied, “I didn’t.”

The exchange led to speculation that pilot error could have played a role in the crash.

However, the preliminary report did not say what caused the fuel control switches to move from “RUN” to “CUTOFF”. It also did not blame or hold any individual responsible for the crash.

The final AAIB report, which is now expected in October, is likely to provide more clarity on what happened in the moments before the aircraft went down and what caused the switches to move.