AAIB Dismisses ‘Incorrect And Speculative’ Italian Report Claiming Pilot Intentionally Crashed Air India Flight 171 That Killed 260; Says ‘No Final Conclusions Reached’

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has dismissed as “incorrect and speculative” an Italian media report that claimed the Air India Flight AI-171 crash was the result of an “intentional act” by one of the pilots. 

The agency clarified that the investigation into the June 12, 2025 tragedy is still in progress and that no final conclusions have been reached.

The clarification came after Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported that investigators were leaning toward a theory that a pilot deliberately turned off the aircraft’s fuel switches, causing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to lose thrust seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad.

AAIB says probe not finalised

In its official response, the AAIB stressed that reports suggesting the investigation had been completed were misleading. “The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,” the agency said, adding that the Final Investigation Report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be published only after the probe is completed in accordance with international aviation norms.

‘Fake’ Italian report said….

The Italian newspaper, citing unnamed sources in Western aviation agencies, claimed there was no technical fault in the aircraft’s fuel switch system. It further alleged that audio analysis of cleaned cockpit voice recordings had identified which pilot moved the fuel switches from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’.

The report suggested that investigators were preparing to state in their final findings that the crash resulted from an “intentional act”. It also quoted US experts assisting the probe as describing this development as a “breakthrough”. However, these claims remain unverified and have not been officially acknowledged by Indian authorities.

What AAIB’s preliminary report revealed

In its 15-page preliminary report released on July 12, 2025, the AAIB provided details of the final moments in the cockpit without assigning a cause to the crash.

The report noted that both engine fuel cutoff switches were moved from the ‘RUN’ to the ‘CUTOFF’ position within a gap of one second. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other pilot responded, “I did not do so.” The report did not explain what led to the simultaneous loss of fuel supply to both engines, leaving the central mystery unresolved.

Details of the Air India Flight 171 crash

Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff into the hostel block of B.J. Medical College, located 1.7 kilometres from the runway.

Of the 242 people on board, 241 died, while 19 people were killed on the ground and 67 others were seriously injured, taking the total death toll to 260. Only one passenger survived the crash after the aircraft lost thrust from both engines shortly after departure.

Supreme Court seeks status update

A day before the AAIB clarification, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to file a brief report outlining the procedural protocol followed so far in the investigation, after being informed that the probe was nearing its final stages. Despite this, the AAIB has reiterated that no conclusions have yet been drawn.

Speculation versus official findings

While the Italian report informally pointed toward the pilot commander, Sumeet Sabharwal, the AAIB has refrained from naming or blaming any individual.

The agency emphasised that such claims are speculative until the final investigation report is officially released.

The AAIB has maintained that only the final investigation report will establish the cause of the crash and offer safety recommendations.

Until then, any reports suggesting deliberate action or technical certainty remain outside official confirmation. The reason behind the dual-engine fuel cutoff within seconds of takeoff continues to be one of the most critical unanswered questions in the investigation.

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