AAIB Rejects Italian Media Report of “Intentional Act” behind Ahmedabad Air Crash
NEW DELHI, Feb 12: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday dismissed as “incorrect and speculative” reports claiming that the investigation into the Air India Flight AI-171 crash has been finalised.
The central agency said that the investigation into the Air India crash was still in progress and no final conclusions have been reached, but rejected as “speculative” the reports that pilots’ “intentional act” had caused the tragic Ahmedabad – London Air India flight just on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in June, last year.
The response from AAIB, which is under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, comes a day after some Italian newspapers denied any technical fault in the aircraft’s fuel switches and suggested an “intentional act” behind turning off the fuel switches of the Air India Flight 171. The Italian report, citing sources in western aviation agencies, said the probe into the crash was heading towards its completion and that the plane crashed because one of the pilots turned off the two fuel switches.
The AAIB clarified that the claim that the probe into the crash has been finalised are incorrect and speculative. “The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,” it added. Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed near Ahmedabad airport on June 12, 2025, shortly after take-off, killing 260 people — 241 of the 242 on board — when the aircraft plummeted onto a medical student hostel 32 seconds after losing thrust from both engines.
The investigation body referred to its preliminary report on the crash, saying, “The Final Investigation Report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be published upon completion of the investigation in line with established international norms.” In its preliminary 15-page report, published a month after the crash, the AAIB provided the details the final moments of the crash, without providing the cause behind the simultaneous dual-engine failure.
(Manas Dasgupta)
