Air India Crash Probe: AAIB slams 'irresponsible' media reports, warns against speculation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday issued a strong statement condemning what it called 'selective and unverified reporting' by certain international media outlets on the Air India Ahmedabad crash. The bureau warned that such coverage could seriously compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation.

This response came after The Wall Street Journal published a report claiming that a cockpit voice recording allegedly suggested the captain of the ill-fated flight had manually cut off fuel supply to the engines. Reacting to this, the AAIB stated, “It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting.”

Calling such actions “irresponsible,” the AAIB urged both the media and the public to avoid spreading premature narratives. “At this stage, it is too early to reach any definite conclusions. The investigation is not complete. The final report will outline root causes and safety recommendations,” it added.

Earlier in the day, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry, criticising the preliminary AAIB report for not adequately considering two known technical scenarios that could have triggered an automated engine shutdown on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The FIP called for more subject matter experts to be involved in the ongoing investigation, noting that the preliminary report appeared to hint at pilot error without presenting conclusive evidence or considering previously recorded failure modes in similar aircraft.

In a separate statement, pilots' association ALPA-India defended the crew of the AI-171 flight, saying the pilots made every effort to protect passengers. “They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments. We reiterate our call for a fact-based and respectful discourse,” the group said.