The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has told the Supreme Court that the draft final report into the June 2025 Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed over 260 people, is expected to be ready in October.
In an affidavit filed before the court, the AAIB said the investigation into a serious accident involving an international flight was not purely a domestic inquiry but an international investigation governed by the Chicago Convention and Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Annex 13 sets out the procedures for investigating aircraft accidents.
"Article 26 obligates the State in which the accident occurs to institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident, while Annex 13 read with Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 expressly contemplates the participation of the State of Registry, State of Operator, State of Design, and State of Manufacture, each of whom possesses defined rights and responsibilities in the investigative process through accredited representatives and technical participation," the AAIB said in the affidavit.
"Thus, the inquiry is not confined to an internal municipal exercise, but assumes the character of an internationally structured, treaty-governed investigation undertaken by the State of Occurrence in coordination with all concerned States having a legally recognised nexus to the aircraft, operator, design, or manufacture," it added.
The bureau said the purpose of an aircraft accident investigation was solely to improve aviation safety and prevent future accidents, and not to apportion blame or determine civil or criminal liability.
"In view of the nature, scale and complexity of the present accident, the AAIB has carefully assessed the timeline for completion of the investigation," the affidavit said.
"In all probability, the investigation activities as described... subject to the resolution of the pending external dependencies set out therein, are anticipated to be completed within approximately six weeks. Thereafter, the draft final report, following completion of the analysis phase, is expected to be ready approximately in October 2026," it added.
The AAIB also told the court that both international and domestic legal provisions require strict confidentiality of sensitive investigative material.
The affidavit said this included witness statements, cockpit voice recorder recordings and transcripts, air traffic control communications, medical information and other protected records, disclosure of which could compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation and future aviation safety inquiries.
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, came down less than a minute after take-off on 12 June 2025.
All but one of the 241 people (229 passengers, 12 crew members) on board were killed, along with 19 people on the ground when the aircraft struck a medical college hostel.
The Supreme Court had earlier told Pushkaraj Sabharwal, the 91-year-old father of pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, that his son should not be blamed for the crash and that he should not carry the burden himself.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal and the Federation of Indian Pilots have petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking a court-monitored inquiry headed by a former Supreme Court judge.
The petitioner has sought a "fair, transparent and technically robust" investigation into the crash.
"An incomplete and prejudiced inquiry, without identification of the exact cause of the accident, endangers the lives of future passengers and undermines aviation safety at large, causing a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution," the plea said.
The aircraft was flying from Ahmedabad to London when it crashed within minutes of take-off, hitting the BJ Medical College hostel less than a nautical mile from the end of the runway.
According to the plea, the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) failed to activate, and both the pilot-in-command, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, and co-pilot, Captain Clive Kunder, were killed in the crash.
(With inputs from PTI)
