Supreme Court To Review Probe Into Air India Ahmedabad Crash

(MENAFN- Live Mint) NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will review the fairness and timeliness of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) probe into the 12 June crash of Air India Flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 265 people, including passengers, crew, and residents on the ground. The review follows a plea from aviation NGO Constitution by Safety Matters Foundation, led by Captain Amit Singh, seeking an independent investigation.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotishwar Singh has sought responses from the central government, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the AAIB.

The matter will be heard again on 11 October. The top court emphasized that its role is limited to ensuring the probe is conducted in a“free, fair, impartial, independent and expeditious” manner.

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The justices also criticized the leak of AAIB's preliminary inquiry report, calling it“unfortunate”, noting that a single line-suggesting one pilot asked why fuel had been cut off-was amplified internationally, creating what the court called a misleading pilot-error narrative.

“There was no occasion for anyone to leak the so-called preliminary inquiry, even if there were some kind of negligence,” Justice Kant observed. He added that rival airlines often exploit such tragedies:“When an accident occurs, some start blaming the airline staff for negligence, suggesting that the entire airline should be condemned.”

On 12 June, flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad . The AAIB formed its investigation team the following day, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and securing wreckage and black boxes.

On 11 July, the bureau issued its preliminary report attributing the crash to fuel control switches being moved from“RUN” to“CUTOFF.” That conclusion implied pilot error but did not explain why the switches were moved, nor did it release full flight data, prompting the NGO to petition the Supreme Court for greater transparency.

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The petition has challenged the preliminary report blaming pilot error and demanded an independent probe, citing conflicts of interest in a DGCA-led process. It seeks disclosure of the Digital Flight Data Recorder output, full Cockpit Voice Recorder transcripts with timestamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording data. The plea argued that withholding such information violates citizens' rights to life, equality, and access to truthful information.

During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO, highlighted that over 102 days have passed since the crash, yet only a preliminary report exists, issued a month after the incident.

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“There is no guidance on what likely happened or what precautions need to be taken, leaving passengers on Boeing 787 aircraft at risk,” Bhushan said.

He pointed to independent analyses suggesting an electrical systems failure, rather than deliberate pilot action, likely caused the engine shutdown.

The NGO also flagged a conflict of interest in the AAIB's five-member investigation team, which includes three serving DGCA officers. Under the Aircraft Act, the DGCA regulates safety while the AAIB investigates crashes. Rule 12 permits the government to order a judicial or separate inquiry to ensure impartiality, Bhushan noted.

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