Air India Boeing 787 Crash Investigation Delayed; Final Report Expected in Three Months

On the first anniversary of the crash of Air India Flight AI171 on 12 June 2025, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has confirmed it cannot meet the international 12-month deadline for a final report, citing the ongoing examination of the aircraft's GE Aerospace engines at specialist facilities in the United States. A final report is now expected within approximately three months. The AAIB is instead issuing an interim status report, as required under international aviation rules when a final report cannot be completed within a year. The crash, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, was the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade and the first fatal accident involving a 787. The preliminary report released last year documented that both engine fuel control switches moved almost simultaneously from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' shortly after takeoff, and included a brief cockpit voice exchange in which one pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel, with the other denying doing so — a detail that has fuelled intense speculation about pilot action. Competing theories remain unresolved: some aviation professionals believe the evidence points to deliberate pilot action, while safety campaigners, pilots' groups, and lawyers representing victims' families argue that anomalies in the preliminary report — including questions about the timing of the Ram Air Turbine deployment and alleged prior electrical faults on the aircraft — suggest a catastrophic technical failure may be responsible. The Federation of Indian Pilots and the captain's father have petitioned India's Supreme Court for an independent judicial investigation, and the investigation's integrity has been questioned by critics who argue national inquiries are vulnerable to corporate and political pressure.