NEW DELHI — India's aircraft accident investigators expect to complete a draft final report into the 2025 Air India Flight AI-171 crash by October, after telling the Supreme Court the inquiry has entered its final analytical phase following more than a year of technical and operational investigations.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in an affidavit filed before the court, said the remaining investigative work is expected to be completed within about six weeks, subject to the resolution of outstanding external dependencies. The agency said the draft report would then be prepared and circulated to participating states in accordance with international aviation investigation procedures before any public release.
The filing was made in response to petitions seeking an independent, court-monitored investigation into the June 12, 2025, crash of the London-bound Boeing 787-8 shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. The accident killed 260 people, including nearly all those aboard the aircraft and people on the ground, making it one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.
According to the AAIB, investigators have completed a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder, conducted what it described as a psychological autopsy as part of the human-factors assessment, interviewed flight crew associates, air traffic controllers, weather officials and other witnesses, and are continuing to evaluate technical, operational, organizational and human factors. The bureau said it is also awaiting analysis of certain engine monitoring data before completing its work.
The agency cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the cause of the crash, saying media speculation attributing blame to the pilots had affected witness cooperation. It emphasized that the investigation remains focused on establishing the facts under the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization's Annex 13 framework rather than assigning legal liability.
India's civil aviation authorities released a preliminary report in July 2025 containing factual information gathered during the early stages of the investigation. The AAIB has said scientific analysis of flight recorder data, aircraft systems, maintenance records and other evidence has continued since then.
Under international aviation rules, the draft final report will first be shared with accredited participating states for review and comment before the AAIB issues its final conclusions. As of Wednesday, investigators said the inquiry remained ongoing and no final determination on the cause of the accident had been officially released.
