Air India Crash Investigation Update One Year On: Few New Details
One year after the Air India crash that killed 260 people, Indian investigators report progress but no completion date. The cause of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner disaster remains undetermined.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has stated that the investigation into the Air India flight crash, which occurred a year ago, is still ongoing. The disaster killed 260 people – 241 on board and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived: Viswashkumar Ramesh from Leicester.
In a statement, the AAIB said "significant progress" had been made, particularly in the examination and analysis of aircraft systems, flight recorder data, engine-related components, and maintenance and operational records. However, no date for the completion of the investigation was given.
The accident happened on June 12, 2025, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London, crashed about 6 km (3.7 miles) from the airport. The plane hit a building used as doctors' accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, causing an explosion. Among the dead were 169 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens.
A preliminary report published last July found that seconds after takeoff, fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and causing a total power loss. Cockpit audio recordings captured one pilot asking the other why he had done it, with the other replying that he had not. Investigators did not identify which pilot made either statement.
After the report's release, media attention turned to the senior pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that new evidence suggested the captain had cut off the fuel supply. However, pilots' associations in India strongly criticized these claims, arguing that blaming the pilot is the easiest way to close the case and that the pilot cannot defend himself.
In its latest update, the AAIB reiterated that the sole purpose of the accident investigation is to enhance aviation safety through the identification of lessons and safety recommendations, not to apportion blame or liability. The bureau pledged to examine all relevant technical, operational, organizational, and human factors associated with the accident.
