Statement on initial report of Air India crash likely this week: Sources

The initial report on the Air India AI 171 crash, which claimed 260 lives last month in Ahmedabad, is likely to be made public within 30 days of the incident, sources told India Today. Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture were informed during a recent meeting that the preliminary findings of the crash probe may be released as early as this week, a month after the incident.

According to sources, top officials of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) briefed the committee on the ongoing investigation into the AI 171 crash, with a detailed explanation of the technical procedures underway.

The AAIB informed the panel that both black boxes from the ill-fated Boeing Dreamliner were recovered intact and are currently undergoing decoding and analysis.

The AAIB, in collaboration with experts from the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), is decoding the data and matching it with the technical parameters of the aircraft. The analysis includes synchronising information from the black boxes with the final communication the aircraft made with Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control shortly before the crash.

Crucial technical equipment provided by the NTSB was transported to India for this purpose and has been handed over to the AAIB. Both black boxes were moved from Ahmedabad to Delhi on separate aircraft with the highest level of security and sensitivity, sources confirmed.

In an unprecedented move, the wreckage of the aircraft has been brought to a secured site near Ahmedabad airport, where a partial reconstruction of the Dreamliner has been carried out. This reconstruction is being used to analyse the physical damage and cross-reference it with the decoded black box data, sources added.

At a crucial meeting of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on air safety held Wednesday, several members raised concerns over the "non-implementation of previous recommendations" made by the panel on civil aviation oversight, sources



said.

The meeting was attended by top officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and senior representatives from airline operators including Air India, IndiGo, and chopper service stakeholders.

Sources told India Today that prior to the meeting, some committee members had planned to directly question the Civil Aviation Secretary and MoCA officials about the Air India 171 crash, seeking details on what led to the incident, how far the investigation had progressed, and when the central question - why the crash occurred - would be answered.

The Standing Committee, chaired by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, convened with the stated agenda of "an overall review of civil aviation sector safety", but the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad took centre stage during discussions.

The crash involved flight AI 171, which slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel building just seconds after take-off, killing 260 people-241 passengers and crew onboard, and 19 on the ground.

While Wednesday's meeting focused on oversight and systemic issues, air safety had already become a contentious issue during the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Tuesday. Though originally intended to address airport levy charges, the PAC session turned into a charged discussion on aviation safety post-AI 171.

Sources said PAC members pressed aviation authorities about oversight gaps, urged an audit by BCAS, and raised questions over increasing safety incidents in May and June. Lawmakers also flagged a surge in airfares following the Pahalgam terror attack as another sign of regulatory failure.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, along with top MoCA, DGCA, AERA, AAI and BCAS officials, attended the PAC meeting and defended the Boeing 787 Dreamliner involved in the crash. Air India stated the aircraft was among the safest in the world, with over 1,000 Dreamliners currently in operation globally.