No premature disclosure of AI-171 flight data, AAIB to Surat resident

Ahmedabad: Responding to a letter from a Surat resident seeking black box data of the ill-fated AI-171 aircraft, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) India has stated that the data cannot be provided, and the final report will be published “as soon as the investigation is completed and accepted for publication”.

The letter signed by K Ramesh Babu, director of AAIB, dated May 20, read: ‘It is informed that the investigation of this unfortunate accident is being carried out by AAIB in accordance with the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 and Standards & Recommended Practices of ICAO Annex 13.”

The requisite information cannot be provided as per Rule 17 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents & Incidents) Rules, 2025, it added.

“The investigation is looking into each and every factor to identify the root cause/ contributory factor(s) leading to the accident. AAIB will publish the final investigation report on its website as soon as the investigation is completed and accepted for publication. The final investigation report will contain all the findings including the root cause/ contributory factor(s) leading to the accident and will issue safety recommendations to avoid re-occurrence of such accidents in future,” read the response.

Next month will mark the first anniversary of the tragic Air India flight, AI-171, crash. The flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner travelling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick — crashed moments after take-off on June 12, 2025, resulting in the deaths of 260 people, including 241 aboard the aircraft. Viswash Rameshkumar, 43, was the only passenger to walk out of the flames that engulfed the plane after it crashed on the BJ Medical College campus.