Air India crash probe that killed 260 enters final stage, report in a month

The AAIB's preliminary report said fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a second after take-off, causing cockpit confusion. One pilot is heard asking why the fuel was cut, while the other denies doing so, according to the cockpit voice recording cited in the investigation.

In Short

• Flight AI171 crashed soon after Ahmedabad take-off en route to London Gatwick
• The accident killed 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew onboard
• Investigators are examining technical, operational, organisational and human factors behind crash

The probe into the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed 260 people last year has reached the final stage, and the final report will “mostly” be released within one month, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said.

"As per the information we have received, the investigation is in its final stages. However, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting the probe independently, and we have provided them with all the resources they require. We expect the process may take around another month," he said.

Naidu made the remarks to reporters on Friday on the sidelines of the India Aircraft Leasing and Financing Summit 2.0 at GIFT City in Gandhinagar. Air India flight AI171, which was headed to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, including 241 onboard.

The crash is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Earlier, in February this year, the civil aviation ministry had said that "all probable causes" behind the crash were being examined and that efforts were being made to complete the investigation in a "time-bound manner."

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol had also informed the Rajya Sabha that the probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau was in progress. The ministry had maintained that all possible causes linked to the crash were under investigation.

In its preliminary report issued on July 12 last year, the AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a gap of one second shortly after take-off, which led to confusion inside the cockpit. The report said, "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."

The ministry had also said that the preliminary report was based on the evidence available at that stage and did not include any interim safety recommendations. In January, a source had told news agency PTI that investigators were examining certain aircraft components and assessing technical, operational, organisational and human factors related to the crash, while adding that "nothing has been ruled out" in the probe.

With the investigation now in its final phase, the government has said the report is likely within a month, while earlier statements and the preliminary findings have indicated that multiple possible causes are still being examined in the AI171 crash.

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