Ahmedabad : The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed the Supreme Court that the draft final report into the Air India flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed 260 lives in June 2025, is likely to be ready by October 2026. The affidavit was filed in response to a petition by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, the 91-year-old father of pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, and the Federation of Indian Pilots, seeking a court-monitored probe headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.
During an earlier hearing, the apex court had observed that Captain Sabharwal should not be presumed responsible for the crash and told his father not to shoulder that burden. The AAIB told the court that the investigation is governed not only by Indian law but also by the Chicago Convention and Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which prescribe globally accepted procedures for probing aircraft accidents.
The bureau explained that Article 26 of the Chicago Convention requires the country where an accident occurs to conduct the investigation, while Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025, allow the participation of the State of Registry, State of Operator, State of Design and State of Manufacture through accredited representatives and technical experts.
Describing the nature of the inquiry, the AAIB said the investigation “is not confined to an internal municipal exercise” but is an internationally coordinated, treaty-governed process involving all countries with a recognised legal connection to the aircraft, its operator, design or manufacturer. On the progress of the probe, the AAIB said the remaining investigation activities are expected to be completed within approximately six weeks, subject to the resolution of pending external dependencies.
This includes witness statements, cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recordings and transcripts, air traffic control communications, medical records and other protected material. Premature disclosure, the bureau said, could compromise the integrity of the ongoing investigation as well as future aviation safety inquiries. The AI-171 crash on June 12, 2025, killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people on the ground.
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