NEW DELHI : Over a year after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol confirmed that while a preliminary report was published by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 12, a final investigation report is awaited as probe is on.

In response to a question by CPI(M) MP John Brittas, Mohol told the Rajya Sabha that the final investigation report will be published after completion of the investigation.

“A preliminary investigation report was published by AAIB on 12 July 2025. The investigation is in progress. All probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated. As per the ICAO Annex 13 requirements, the interim statement has been published by AAIB on 12 June 2026. The final investigation report will be published after completion of the investigation. AAIB is conducting its investigation transparently and is yet to conclude the investigation,” Mohol said.

The response followed a pointed inquiry by Brittas, who asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to present the status of the investigation into the Ahmedabad aeroplane crash. He also asked whether the final investigation report has been delayed beyond the indicative timeline of one year under ICAO standards.

Furthermore, Brittas inquired whether the government had received complaints regarding the “selective disclosure” of cockpit voice recorder (CVR) extracts in the preliminary report, which some allege fuelled speculation regarding pilot conduct. He also asked whether the families of victims and pilot associations had lodged representations alleging a lack of transparency or methodology flaws in the ongoing probe.

The Air India AI-171 flight crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12 last year, killing 260 people, including 229 passengers, along with 12 crew members and 19 people on the ground. (ANI)