'Incorrect, Speculative': India's Aircraft Investigation Body Debunks Italian Report On Ahmedabad Plane Crash Probe

New Delhi: Dismissing an Italian media report which claimed that the investigation into the Ahmedabad plane crash concluded that the incident was triggered out of an “intentional act”, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) called them “incorrect and speculative,” and clarified that its inquiry is still ongoing and that no final findings have been drawn.

The crash, claimed 260 lives, including 241 passengers, when Air India’s Boeing 787-8, operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, went down shortly after take-off on June 12, 2025.

The AAIB underlined that aircraft accident investigations are complex, evidence-driven exercises, and they are aimed at identifying root causes and strengthening aviation safety standards. It also pointed out that the preliminary report issued earlier only reflected the facts available at that stage of the inquiry.

The investigation agency also pointed out that all detail conclusions will be released once the investigation is completed, which will be in accordance with international protocols.

The AAIB further appealed to media outlets to avoid conjecture, and reiterated that such reporting compromises the integrity of the ongoing investigation. 

The preliminary findings, released on July 12 last year, had revealed that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within a one-second interval soon after take-off. A cockpit voice recording pointed out that one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been cut off. The other one replied that he had not done so.

The Fuel Switch Controversy

The controversy around fuel switches has been ongoing for ever since the preliminary investigation suggested something wrong about them. These switches regulate the fuel flow into a plane's engines and are used by pilots to start or shut down engines on the ground or to manually shut down or restart engines when an engine failure occurs during a flight.

Air India completed precautionary re-inspections of its Fuel Control Switches (FCS) across all the operational Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet, recently. The airline identified no issues during these checks. These inspections were undertaken after one of its pilots flagged some concerns about the fuel cut-off switch on an Air India Boeing B787-8 flight on February 2, 2026. This led to the airline briefly grounding the aircraft to carry out further checks.

DGCA Clears Fuel Switch Concern

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), released a rejoinder stating that the fuel cut-off switch on Air India Boeing B787-8 aircraft was functioning properly and that external force was applied in the wrong direction, which resulted in the switch go from "RUN to CUTOFF".

"Both left and right switches were checked and found satisfactory, with the locking tooth/pawl fully seated and not slipping from RUN to CUTOFF. When full force was applied parallel to the base plate, the switch remained secure. However, applying external force in an incorrect direction caused the switch to move easily from RUN to CUTOFF, due to the angular base plate allowing slip when pressed improperly with finger or thumb," the rejoinder said.

Here's What the Supreme Court Said

The Supreme Court has given the central government three weeks to file a report on the procedural protocol followed to enquire into the tragic accident. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also suggested not to be swayed by media reports on technical glitches in aircrafts.

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