It has been 13 months since the unfortunate crash of Air India’s AI171, which was bound for London from Ahmedabad but did not go much beyond the airport’s perimeter wall. Since then, all we have heard is the preliminary report, released a month after the incident and inconclusive, as it should be. But the verbiage used also set off conspiracy theories in motion. A year later, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said they needed more time and did not have a statement to make at the time.
Investigation entering its final analytical phase
The AAIB has now informed the Supreme Court of India that the draft final investigation report into the crash of Air India Flight AI171 will only be ready around October 2026, while reiterating that the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcript will not be made public.
The submissions were made before the Supreme Court in response to petitions seeking greater transparency into the investigation, including requests for the release of the cockpit voice recorder transcript and other flight recorder data. However, the court did not direct the release of the material, accepting the AAIB’s position that doing so at this stage would compromise the integrity of an ongoing safety investigation.
According to the AAIB’s filing before the Supreme Court, investigators have substantially completed the evidence-gathering phase, and the probe has now entered its analytical stage. The bureau expects the remaining investigative activities to conclude within approximately six weeks, subject to the completion of a few pending external inputs.
Once these activities are complete, investigators will prepare the draft final report, which is expected around October 2026. As required under ICAO Annex 13, the draft will first be circulated confidentially to accredited participants in the investigation—including authorities such as the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—for comments before the report is finalised and released publicly.
AAIB refuses to disclose Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript
A key issue before the Supreme Court has been the demand for disclosure of the Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript.
Following widespread speculation after the release of the preliminary report, and multiple media reports quoting unnamed sources regarding cockpit conversations—the petitioners sought disclosure of the actual transcript to avoid selective leaks and speculation.
The AAIB has opposed such disclosure, maintaining that cockpit voice recordings form part of protected investigative material under international accident investigation protocols and are not intended for public dissemination while an investigation is underway. The Supreme Court has accepted that position and declined to order the release of the transcript at this stage.
The development is significant because the preliminary report released in July 2025 contained only a brief paraphrased reference to a cockpit exchange, without publishing the full transcript or identifying which pilot made specific remarks. Since then, several international media reports have claimed to describe portions of the cockpit conversation, something both investigators and aviation experts have cautioned against treating as definitive evidence.
Extensive investigation spanning technical and human factors
The court filing also provides perhaps the clearest picture yet of the breadth of the investigation.
According to the AAIB, investigators have:
- Prepared the complete Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript.
- Interviewed Air India Boeing 787 pilots and crew members familiar with the operating crew.
- Examined technical personnel involved in dispatching and maintaining the aircraft.
- Interviewed air traffic controllers, weather officials and human factors specialists.
- Conducted what it describes as a psychological autopsy as part of the investigation.
- Visited the families of the flight crew during the early stages of the investigation.
The bureau has stated that findings are now being developed across operational, technical, organisational and human-factors domains before conclusions are finalised.
Why the report will still take months
While the investigation itself could conclude within weeks, aviation accident investigations follow a structured international process before publication.
After investigators complete their analysis, a draft report must be shared with participating states and accredited representatives for factual review and comments. Those comments are then considered before the final report—and any accompanying safety recommendations—is published.
That review process explains why, despite the investigation nearing completion, the draft report itself is only expected around October 2026.
Bottomline
More than a year after the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, the AAIB says the investigation has entered its final analytical stage. While the remaining investigative work could conclude within weeks, the draft final report is now expected only in October 2026 after completion of technical analysis and international consultation. The Supreme Court has also declined to order the release of the Cockpit Voice Recorder transcript, allowing investigators to continue the probe under the confidentiality framework prescribed by international aviation accident investigation rules.
What do you make of the current status of the investigation into Air India 171 crash?
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