India prepares Air India crash report one year after June 2025 incident

India's air accident investigators are preparing to release an anniversary report on the crash of Air India Flight 171, which killed 260 people last year. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board crashed in Gujarat, western India, seconds after takeoff on 12 June, striking a medical college hostel outside Ahmedabad airport.

One passenger survived the crash, while 19 people on the ground were also killed.

Timeline and regulatory requirements Under international regulations, investigators must aim to provide a final accident report one year after an incident, revealing the probable cause and recommendations to prevent similar events. If they cannot complete a final report, they must release an update on each anniversary of the crash.

India's civil aviation minister said last month that the investigation was in the "last stage" and that the report would "mostly" be ready by the one-year anniversary. "However, the investigation is being done by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and we don't interfere in it," the minister told reporters.

remaining questions A preliminary report released last year stated that three seconds after takeoff, both fuel control switches flipped from "run" to "cutoff," starving the engines of fuel. The switches returned to the "run" position after about 10 seconds, but it was too late.

One pilot transmitted a "Mayday" call as the plane lost thrust and descended. The preliminary report assigned no blame and did not identify a cause, leaving open whether the crash resulted from technical failure, human error, maintenance issues, or oversight gaps.

" Lawsuits against Air India and Boeing are proceeding in courts in the UK and US, alleging culpability on the part of the airline and manufacturer.