As the monsoon rains sweep across India, darker clouds continue to loom over the country’s aviation sector. With investigations into the deadly crash of Air India Flight 171 entering a critical phase, the coming weeks could reshape regulatory accountability, global manufacturer relations, and public confidence in air safety.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture is set to meet on July 8 in New Delhi, where senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, as well as representatives from Air India, Boeing, and GE Aerospace, are expected to brief lawmakers on the progress of the investigation. The crash, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in mid-June and claimed over 260 lives, has become one of the most consequential air disasters in recent Indian aviation history.
Preliminary Report May Be Released Soon
According to senior government sources, investigators are racing to complete a preliminary analysis of the black boxes, and a report could be released by July 7. Whether the findings are indeed released before or after the committee meeting could significantly influence the tenor of questioning by Members of Parliament, some of whom have expressed concern over the pace and transparency of the probe, and whether other helicopter crashes in recent weeks will remain to be seen.
In a statement issued last week, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) had been successfully retrieved and were under active analysis. One of the recorders was found atop a building near the crash site on June 13, and the other was located in the wreckage three days later.
A multi-disciplinary investigation team, led by the Director General of AAIB, includes experts in aviation medicine, air traffic control, and representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—a requirement under international norms given that the aircraft and its engines were manufactured in the United States.
The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to Delhi under military escort on June 24, and by the next day, investigators managed to access and download the data. “These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences,” the ministry said in its statement.
A Shift in India’s Investigative Posture
In a significant departure from past practices, Indian authorities have refused to send the black boxes abroad for analysis. This marks a shift from the investigations into the Mangalore crash in 2010 and the Calicut crash in 2020, both of which involved Boeing aircraft and where black box decoding was outsourced to international labs to ensure that data recovery was without glitch.
“We will do the entire investigation. There is no need to send the data outside,” Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said last week. “It is in AAIB’s custody, and it will not go anywhere.”
The move is seen as part of a broader assertion of India’s aviation sovereignty, even as it collaborates with international agencies. The AAIB has stressed that all actions are being taken “in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time-bound manner.”
Sabotage Angle Not Ruled Out
Minister Mohol also added an unexpected dimension to the investigation last week when he suggested that sabotage is one of the angles being explored. “CCTV footage is being reviewed and all angles are being assessed… several agencies are working on it,” he said, signalling that the probe remains wide open and potentially more complex than initially assumed.
What makes this case particularly troubling is the apparent failure of both engines on the Boeing 787 shortly after takeoff—a highly unusual and rare occurrence in modern aviation.
Global Implications for Boeing and GE
The crash puts renewed pressure on Boeing, still reeling from global scrutiny over its troubled 737 MAX program and more recent manufacturing lapses flagged by regulators. For GE Aerospace, whose engines powered the downed aircraft, the investigation could also raise serious technical and reputational concerns, depending on the final findings.
Experts note that, unlike the crashes in Mangalore and Calicut—both of which were attributed to pilots who touched down deep into the runway, which was located on challenging terrain—the Ahmedabad crash has no such obvious red flags so far.
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