Air India Crash Report Expected by October, Investigators Confirm
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed India’s Supreme Court that the draft final report on that tragic loss of life will be ready in October, following a six‑week analysis phase that began almost a year ago.
The FAA‑style investigation, formally begun in July 2025, has already completed 49 of the 66 mandated steps. Those actions cover site and wreckage examination, evidence recovery, flight‑data and cockpit‑voice‑recorder analysis, crew medical and training review, as well as psychological profiling of crew members.
Earlier reports found that, only seconds after leaving the runway, the aircraft’s fuel‑control switches slid to a cut‑off position, starving the engines and triggering a total power loss. A cockpit‑voice transcript, now prepared, shows one pilot asking another why the switches had moved, to which the other replied that he had not done so. The identity of each pilot remains unclear.
Such ambiguity has sparked debate in the press and among aviation experts. In particular, speculation about senior pilot Capt Sumeet Sabharwal has prompted criticism from the pilot’s father and various aviation bodies, who argue that media narratives may hinder cooperation with investigators.
The aircraft struck a medical‑college building about six kilometers from the airport, exploding and killing an additional 19 people on the ground. The only survivor, 56‑year‑old Viswashkumar Ramesh of Leicester, is still recovering as authorities review safety protocols ahead of the forthcoming report.
If the report becomes public in October, it may reveal whether the fuel‑cut event was accidental, intentional, or the result of system malfunction, potentially reshaping Manila’s and the global aviation community’s perspective on safety oversight.
