'Incorrect and speculative': AAIB refutes Italian report claiming AI171 pilot 'intentionally shut fuel switch'
A total of 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday rejected Italian media reports claiming that the probe into the Air India Flight AI-171 crash had been completed, terming the claims "incorrect and speculative." Issuing a clarification, the aviation accident probe body said the investigation is still underway, and no final conclusions have been reached.
In one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters, 260 people, including 241 passengers, were killed when Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating Flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.
Investigation into AI171 plane crash in progress: AAIB
"The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached," AAIB said in a statement, and added that aircraft accident investigations are technical, evidence-based processes aimed at determining root causes and enhancing safety.
The probe agency further said that the preliminary report released earlier provided factual information available at that stage. "The final investigation report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be published upon completion of the investigation in line with established international norms," it said.
The AAIB also urged media organisations to exercise restraint and avoid premature speculation. "Unverified reporting causes unnecessary public anxiety and undermines the integrity of an ongoing professional investigation. AAIB remains fully committed to transparency, procedural integrity, and the highest standards of aviation safety," the statement said.
AI 171 pilot 'intentionally shut fuel switches’: Italian report
Italian daily Corriere della Sera has reported that investigators probing last year’s Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad have concluded that the tragedy was not caused by a technical fault but by an "intentional act."
Citing two sources familiar with recent discussions between New Delhi and Washington, the report claimed that Indian investigators believe the June 2025 crash was triggered by a deliberate fuel cut-off to the aircraft’s engines rather than a mechanical failure. It added that US experts assisting in the investigation described the development as a "breakthrough."
The newspaper further said officials were preparing to draft the final investigation report. However, the claims are based on unnamed sources, and Indian authorities have not released any final report or officially confirmed these findings.
Air India crash preliminary report
In its preliminary report on the crash that was released on July 12 last year, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after take-off.
"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," it had said.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to file a brief report on the "procedural protocol" followed so far, after it was informed that the AAIB's investigation into the plane crash is at its fag end.
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