‘Possible sabotage’ under investigation in Air India plane crash: Report

Minister of state for civil aviation said that the Air India crash is being investigated from all angles, including any possible sabotage.

As the investigation into the Air India plane crash continues, minister of state (MoS) for civil aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, has stated that “possible sabotage” is one of the angles being examined. The civil aviation minister's remarks come after the AAIB started its probe and analysis into the black box data of Air India flight 171.

Doctors on Saturday said around 270 bodies have been brought to the hospital from the air crash site so far. (PTI)

Air India Flight AI-171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard. The incident also marked the first fatal accident of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. 

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), India’s top agency for aviation crash investigations, is leading the probe. Officials had earlier said that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR)—also known as black boxes—were recovered from the site and sent to Delhi for analysis.

“The AAIB has begun a full investigation into it... It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage. The CCTV footage are being reviewed and all angles are being assessed... several agencies are working on it,” NDTV quoted Murlidhar Mohol as saying at an event in Pune.

The government said analysis of the black box data is ongoing. Investigators are trying to reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to the crash and identify what may have caused it.

What are other possible angles in Air India crash?

Investigators are examining multiple possibilities behind the Air India Flight 171 crash, including a sudden power loss or engine failure, system malfunction, and human error. Experts say only a thorough analysis of black box data will confirm what caused the June 12 crash.

“A B787 aircraft has extremely powerful engines. It is hard to guess what went wrong. It looks like the pilot could not get adequate thrust and realised the issue immediately after take-off,” said aviation safety expert Amit Singh. Officials confirmed that a Mayday call was made by the pilots shortly after takeoff, pointing to an in-flight emergency.

According to unnamed sources cited in a Reuters report, the probe is also looking at engine thrust, flap settings, and the unusual case of the landing gear staying extended. Maintenance records and crew actions are under review, while a bird-hit has been ruled out.

The investigation team is also assessing airport surveillance footage, radio communication, and environmental conditions at the time of takeoff.

Black box decoding underway 

According to the government, the process of data extraction from the black boxes was started on June 24 with a team of Indian and US experts, including members from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

“The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB lab,” the civil aviation ministry said in a recent statement.

The AAIB has formed a multidisciplinary investigation team on June 13. The team includes Indian and foreign experts—technical personnel, a specialist in aviation medicine, and an air traffic control officer—as per international rules set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Air India crash: Final death toll stands at 260, all victims identified

The final death toll in the Air India Flight 171 crash has been confirmed at 260, Gujarat officials said on Saturday—lower than initial estimates of 270. The toll includes 241 people on board and 19 on the ground.

“The plane crash death toll stands at 260... All bodies have been recovered and identified, with the mortal remains of all of them handed over to their families,” Dhananjay Dwivedi, additional chief secretary of health and family welfare told HT.