The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the Union civil aviation ministry to include it in any independent committee constituted to review the draft final investigation report into the Air India AI-171 crash, saying technical inputs from experienced pilots should be objectively considered before the report is finalised.
In a letter dated September 25 to Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the pilots' body said it had “reliably learnt” that the government or ministry had either directed or was considering requiring the draft final report to be examined by an independent committee before it is circulated or finalised.
FIP therefore requested that, if such an independent mechanism is being constituted, the organisation be “formally nominated and represented”.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating Air India flight AI-171 crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The accident killed 260 people. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been preparing the draft final report following more than a year of investigation.
FIP flags need for aviation specialists
The pilots' organisation said the AAIB investigation should have involved experienced pilots, engineers and aviation medicine specialists as subject-matter experts.
“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,” it said.
FIP has previously written to the civil aviation ministry seeking the inclusion of industry experts in the AI-171 investigation. Its correspondence records also show a July 2025 request specifically seeking the inclusion of subject-matter experts and raising concerns over the investigation.
The organisation said it was consequently important for technical points raised by an independent professional pilots' federation or organisation to be “objectively examined” before the draft report reached its final stage. Where appropriate, it said, such inputs should be incorporated into the investigation record.
Draft report expected after international consultation
The demand comes as the AI-171 investigation approaches its final phase. In July, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the AAIB was expected to complete its investigation within about six weeks and that a draft final report was expected to be ready by October.
The government said the draft could not be released immediately because the investigation is governed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) framework and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025.
Under the process outlined by the Centre, a draft air crash investigation report must be circulated to states participating in the investigation for their “significant and substantiated comments”. In the AI-171 case, this includes the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is the accredited representative of the state of design and manufacture.
The consultation process could take between 30 and 60 days, depending on the complexity of the responses, the Centre told the Supreme Court.
The AAIB has maintained that its investigation is being conducted under ICAO Annex 13 and the applicable Indian rules. It said in June, on the first anniversary of the crash, that evidence from aircraft systems, flight recorder data, engines, maintenance and operational records and other sources was still being analysed, with additional technical evaluations to be undertaken where necessary.
The bureau had also clarified in February that no final conclusions had been reached and that the final report would be released only after completion of the investigation and the required international review and consultation process.