Why AAIB’s AI-171 investigation faces a major crisis of confidence

A year later, as India tries to uncover the truth behind one of its worst aircraft accidents, the reputation of its primary investigating body is in tatters.

The anniversary of one of the most tragic days of India’s aviation history came and went by almost unnoticed. On June 12th last year, 260 lives were lost in one of the most unfathomable aircraft accidents the world has witnessed.

Wreckage of the crashed Air India plane AI-171 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (PTI File)

On June 12th this year, a year after the catastrophe involving Air India Flight 171, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Body (AAIB) issued an interim statement reaffirming its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of “professionalism, transparency and investigative rigour” while