Affidavit on AAIB inquiry into AI 171 crash to detail stages of probe, 'where it stands today': Government tells SC, seeks two more days

The Union Government on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said it needed a couple of days more to file an affidavit enumerating the stages of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) probe into the Air India Flight 171 crash and the current status.

Appearing before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the affidavit would have the details of the various phases of the investigation and “where it stands today”.

The crash near the Ahmedabad airport killed 12 crew members and 229 passengers on June 12, last year.

The petitioners, including 91-year-old Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the father of Commander Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots on the ill-fated aircraft, have urged the court to order a judicially-monitored independent probe.

The other petitioners include the Federation of Indian Pilots and an NGO, Safety Matters Foundation.

The petitioners had previously argued that they did not mean to “apportion blame” but to unearth “what” caused the accident and to safeguard the future against such tragedies.

The court had also made it clear that the purpose of an AAIB inquiry under Section 4C of the Aircraft Act 1934 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 was not to assign blame.

Mr. Sabharwal had approached the court, shocked by the “nasty” reportage about his son and rumours of pilot error. He had argued that the AAIB investigation was flawed.

His petition was triggered by a preliminary report, published in the media, containing what was believed to be a brief verbal exchange between the two pilots, caught on the flight’s black box. In this, one of them reportedly inquired about the fuel switch being cut off, while the other replied he had not switched it off. The reason for the crash was said to be the sudden stoppage of the fuel supply to both the engines.

Mr. Mehta had earlier submitted that the investigation was in compliance with international conventions and mandatory steps required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to be taken in cases of air accidents.

He had maintained that there was a statutory regime under Section 4C in place, adding that the government cannot turn its back on the law.