Air India crash report to be ready by October: AAIB
What's the story
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed the Supreme Court that a draft report on the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad will be ready by October 2026. The June 12, 2025, accident killed 260 people, including passengers and crew members. While informing the court, the AAIB said it cannot share cockpit voice recordings or sensitive investigation materials with any external body or the public due to an "absolute statutory prohibition."
Global protocols
Involvement of international representatives in investigation
The AAIB said the investigation is not just a domestic matter but an internationally governed inquiry under the Chicago Convention and Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
"Article 26 obligates the State in which the accident occurs to institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident."
"Thus, the inquiry is not confined to an internal municipal exercise but assumes the character of an internationally structured, treaty-governed investigation," the AAIB said.
Investigation goals
Investigation not to assign blame or liability: AAIB
The AAIB clarified that the purpose of an aircraft accident investigation is to enhance aviation safety and not to assign blame or determine liability.
The agency said it expects to complete investigation activities in about six weeks, pending external dependencies.
"Thereafter, the draft final report, following completion of the analysis phase, is expected to be ready approximately in October 2026," it said.
Legal proceedings
Petition seeks court-monitored inquiry headed by ex-SC judge
The matter is being heard in petitions filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, and the Federation of Indian Pilots.
They seek a court-monitored inquiry headed by a former Supreme Court judge.
The Supreme Court had earlier assured Pushkaraj that his son shouldn't be blamed for the accident.
In his plea, Pushkaraj sought a "fair, transparent and technically robust" investigation into the tragedy.