New Delhi, Sep 26 Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the civil aviation ministry to ensure that its technical submissions on the AI 171 plane crash are formally considered before the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) finalises its probe report.
AAIB investigation into the aircraft crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, that killed 260 people, is at an advanced stage.
In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday, FIP requested that the grouping be nominated as an “independent technical participant in the review of the draft AI171 final investigation report”.
It is now “reliably learnt that the government/ ministry has directed or is considering requiring the draft report to undergo examination by an independent committee before it is circulated/ finalised,” FIP said.
Against this backdrop, FIP said that if such an independent review mechanism is being constituted, it should be formally nominated and represented in that process as an independent technical stakeholder representing the professional pilot community.
There were no immediate comments from the civil aviation ministry and AAIB on the FIP letter.
Air India’s Boeing 787-8, or Dreamliner, with registration VT-ANB, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after takeoff on June 12, 2025, killing 241 people onboard & 19 on the ground. A lone passenger survived, while all 12 crew members died in the AI171 accident that happened during the initial climb.
Among the passengers who died were citizens from India, the UK, Portugal and Canada.
According to Friday’s letter, FIP’s technical submissions should receive formal and documented consideration before the investigation report is finalised.
Last week, FIP asked AAIB to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of electrical system evidence related to Boeing 787 planes during its investigation into the AI 171 crash probe.
Manufactered in 2013, the VT-ANB aircraft, powered by GE engines, had flown 41,868 hours & its Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) was valid till May 23, 2026.
In its interim statement on the AI171 crash probe, AAIB said on June 12 that significant progress has been made and that the final report will be released upon completion of all investigative activities and the requisite international review and consultation processes.
Without providing specific details about the probe status or findings so far, AAIB had also said the investigation team has undertaken an extensive and rigorous examination of all relevant technical, operational, organisational and human factors associated with the accident over the last year.
(PTI News)
