‘Should we have faith in our agencies or outsiders?': Minister rejects ‘intentional’ act claim in Air India crash probe

The Union minister of state for civil aviation has denied the media report carrying this claim and said probe agencies are looking into the issue.

Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol has rejected a foreign media report on the investigation into the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last year, saying the investigation is still underway.

Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where it took off and crashed nearby shortly afterwards, in Ahmedabad. (REUTERS)

The statement comes after a report in an Italian newspaper said Indian investigators are getting ready to state in their final findings that Air India Flight 171 crashed because one of the pilots shut off the plane's fuel controls.

Union minister on Italian report’s claims

The Union minister of state for civil aviation has denied the media report carrying this claim and said probe agencies are looking into the issue.

“I just want to inform you all that our investigation agencies are probing the matter. Should we have faith in our own agencies or outsiders? Our agencies are working on it,” he was quoted as saying on Saturday by news agency PTI.

"Once the final report is finalised, then only it will be justifiable to comment on it," he added.

What did the report actually claim?

The report in Corriere della Sera said that Indian investigators are preparing to state in their final investigation report that Air India Flight 171 crashed because one of the pilots switched off the aircraft's fuel switches in an act that was "almost certainly" intentional.

The newspaper said this claim would rely on the finding that no technical fault was detected in the aircraft, which suggests the crash could have been caused by human action. It added that major evidence includes cockpit voice recordings, cleared of background noise, that identify which pilot moved the fuel switch “from RUN to CUTOFF”.

It is still not known if the final report will directly assign blame. The person at the centre of the matter is the plane's pilot, Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in the crash, the report said.

The publication said a conclusion that points to the flight captain would be a "desired turning point" for US experts who have been presenting evidence to their Indian counterparts, as the Indian side has refused to accept a human role in the disaster.

The report also said that sound analysis clearly showed which pilot carried out the fatal move. It further ruled out the chance of an error, the newspaper said.

AAIB rejects report, calls it ‘speculative’

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said reports claiming that the investigation into the Air India Flight AI-171 crash has been completed are “incorrect and speculative”.

“The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached,” it added.

The probe agency pointed to its preliminary report and said, “The Final Investigation Report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, will be published upon completion of the investigation in line with established international norms.”

In one of India’s deadliest air accidents, 260 people, including 241 passengers, died when Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.

With inputs from agencies