AI-171 crash probe ongoing, no conclusions reached: AAIB

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, has said the investigation remains underway and no final conclusions have been reached.

In a statement on Thursday (February 12, 2026), the AAIB categorically dismissed reports suggesting that the inquiry has been finalised, calling such claims “incorrect and speculative.”

“The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,” the agency said in response to a report in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that claimed that Indian investigators may conclude in their final report that the crash was caused by one of the pilots shutting off the engines by moving the fuel control switches.

The report, citing unnamed aviation sources, said the assessment was based on analysis of flight data and cleaned-up cockpit voice recordings.

According to the Italian publication, investigators have not identified any clear mechanical or technical malfunction in the aircraft. The report further claimed that cockpit evidence appeared to indicate that the fuel controls were moved “almost certainly intentionally.”

The article suggested that the pilot-in-command could be the focus of the analysis, although it acknowledged that it remains unclear whether formal responsibility would be assigned in the final investigation report.

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It also noted that while the apparent movement of the fuel switches may have been deliberate, investigators are still examining whether the action was intentional or the result of an error. The matter remains under evaluation and has not been officially concluded by Indian authorities.

Indian pilots associations and the family of the pilot in command, late Sumeet Sabharwal, have criticised what they see as an attempt to pin the blame on the crew and have called for more scrutiny on the aircraft maker, the airline and other factors.