Air India AI-171 crash: Pilots' body asks for representation on panel reviewing draft final report

The Federation of Indian Pilots has written to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu seeking representation in any independent committee formed to review the draft final investigation report into the Ahmedabad plane crash.

Updated : Sep 26, 2026, 08:14 PM IST

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the Centre to include its representatives in any independent committee that may be formed to review the draft final investigation report into the Air India AI-171 crash.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The accident killed 260 people.

In a letter dated September 25 to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the pilots’ body said it had learnt that the government was considering an independent review of the draft report being prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

“FIP has now reliably learnt that the government/ministry has directed or is considering requiring the draft final investigation report (which is currently being prepared) to undergo examination by an independent committee before it is circulated/finalised,” the federation said.

FIP requested that it be “formally nominated and represented” if such an independent review mechanism is created.

FIP questions investigators’ technical expertise

The pilots’ federation said it had earlier raised concerns about the composition of the AAIB investigation team. According to FIP, the investigation should involve experienced pilots, engineers and aviation medicine specialists as subject matter experts, particularly because the crash involved a Boeing 787 aircraft.

“FIP always insisted that the investigation team comprises SME's as the present investigators in the AAIB lack expertise and experience in investigating a B-787 accident,” the pilots’ body said. The federation said technical concerns raised by an independent professional pilots’ organisation should be examined before the report reaches its final stage.

It also said such inputs should be added to the investigation record wherever considered appropriate.

The AAIB has been investigating the Ahmedabad crash for more than a year and is currently preparing its draft final report. The development comes after the Centre told the Supreme Court in July that the investigation was expected to be completed within six weeks and that the draft final report would be ready by October.

The government had also told the court that the draft report could not be released immediately.

Why the draft report must be circulated first

The Centre cited the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) framework and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 while explaining the next steps. Under the framework, a draft air accident investigation report is circulated to states involved in the investigation so they can submit significant and substantiated comments.

In the AI-171 case, the US National Transportation Safety Board is the accredited representative of the state of design and manufacture. The Centre said the consultation process could take between 30 and 60 days, depending on the nature and complexity of the responses received.

FIP wants technical concerns considered

The pilots’ body has argued that its representation would allow technical issues raised by professional pilots to be independently examined before the investigation report is finalised. The request comes as the AAIB moves towards completing the draft report into one of India's deadliest aviation accidents in recent years.