The Supreme Court has been told that investigators expect to close their inquiry into the Air India Flight AI-171 crash by October, more than a year after the aircraft went down in Ahmedabad. The update came from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and the bench has now fixed October 12 as the next date for hearing the case. The crash of June 12, 2025 had claimed 260 lives in all.
Who is part of the investigation
The AAIB clarified in court that the inquiry is not confined to officers of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) alone. In line with international aviation rules, accredited experts and representatives from the countries whose citizens died in the crash have also been drawn into the process. That means the probe is being carried out with international participation rather than being handled purely as a domestic, in-house exercise.
How the timeline has shifted
The AAIB has kept updating the top court on the probe's timeline before this hearing too. Some time earlier, it had told the court the investigation was likely to be completed within about six weeks. That estimate has now been pushed further out to October, an indication that the process is taking longer than the bureau had first projected.
Pilot's family moves the court
The clarification came during a hearing on a plea filed jointly by the father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot who died in the crash, and the Federation of Indian Pilots. Their plea has asked for the investigation to proceed under the Supreme Court's direct monitoring. A bench led by CJI Surya Kant heard the matter. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Captain Sabharwal's father, questioned both the pace and the character of the probe. He argued that completing the investigation was taking far longer than it should, and that it appeared to be run only by DGCA officers.
Solicitor General pushes back
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the AAIB, rejected that claim. He told the court the investigation was being conducted strictly under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules and the applicable international treaty to which India is a signatory. Mehta added that accredited representatives and experts from the countries of the foreign nationals among the victims were participating under established international protocol. He assured the bench that the final investigation report would be placed before the court in a sealed cover by October this year.
How the crash unfolded
The accident took place in June 2025 when an Air India aircraft flying from Ahmedabad to London crashed within moments of taking off. The plane went down on a hostel building of a medical college located a short distance from the airport. Of the 242 people on board, 241 passengers and crew members were killed. Another 19 people lost their lives inside the hostel building that was struck.
