Pilots’ body seeks role in review of Air India AI171 crash report, raises technical concerns

New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to include professional pilots in any independent review of the draft final investigation report into the Air India AI171 crash, arguing that key technical discrepancies identified during the probe should be independently examined before the findings are finalised.

In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, the pilots’ body said it has learned that the government is either considering or has already initiated an independent examination of the draft report being prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Seeking formal representation in the process, FIP requested that it be nominated as an independent technical stakeholder to represent the views and expertise of professional pilots

"FIP has 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," the pilot's body said.

"FIP requests that, if such an independent review mechanism has been directed or is being constituted, FIP should be formally nominated and represented in that process as an independent technical stakeholder representing the professional pilot community," it added.

The request comes as the AAIB moves toward completing its investigation into the June 12, 2025 crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.

The bureau had informed the Supreme Court in July that the final investigation report was expected by October 2026. The investigation is being conducted under India's aircraft accident investigation rules and the International Civil Aviation Organization's Annex 13 framework.

A key area of concern highlighted by FIP relates to the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT), an emergency system designed to provide power following a major loss of aircraft power.

According to the pilots’ federation, the AAIB’s preliminary report recorded a fuel-system interruption at around 08:08:42 UTC, with hydraulic power generated by the RAT approximately four seconds later.

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