Indian minister denies wrongdoing in Air India Flight 171 crash probe

This was the first official response from the aviation ministry regarding complaints by Captain Sabharwal’s father. The FIP told Reuters that its interaction with officials “confirmed his fear of a deliberate attempt to shift blame onto a deceased pilot.” The group also noted AAIB officials questioned Sabharwal about his son’s mental health.

Concerns about transparency have surfaced before. In July 2025, regulators from the United States, United Kingdom, and France reportedly raised questions about India’s handling of its investigation into the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash. According to sources cited by Corriere della Sera, there are worries political pressure could affect outcomes.

Preliminary findings showed both engine fuel control switches were moved to CUTOFF roughly three seconds after takeoff, shutting down both engines on the aircraft. Cockpit voice recordings indicated pilots questioned why this happened; one asked why it had been switched off while another replied they had not touched it. The switches were returned to RUN ten seconds later and found in this position in wreckage recovery.

Investigators have ruled out other mechanical failures at this stage but continue examining how both switches were set to CUTOFF. Both pilots were based in Mumbai and considered fit for duty with adequate rest before flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. A limited number of fuel samples have been collected as investigators consider fuel contamination as a possible factor.

The June 12 accident killed 260 people on board and on the ground in Ahmedabad—making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and globally over the past decade. Of those killed, 241 were on board while another 19 died on the ground; earlier estimates put total deaths at 270. Only one passenger survived.

The AAIB continues to lead the investigation into what has become one of history's most significant air disasters involving a modern widebody aircraft. The final report has not yet been released.