“Recent Media Reports Are Premature, Speculative”: US Transport Safety Body On Air India Crash

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairperson Jennifer Homendy has said that it is premature to draw any conclusions regarding the investigation into the fatal crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12.

Her remarks come in response to media reports suggesting a senior pilot may have cut off the fuel switches to both engines.

“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB,” NTSB shared Homendy’s statement on X.

The investigation into the crash of the London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad in Gujarat on June 12, killing 260 people, is being conducted by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

A preliminary report from the AAIB revealed that just seconds after takeoff, both engine fuel-control switches inexplicably moved from the ‘run’ to the ‘cutoff’ position, shutting down the engines almost simultaneously and causing an irreparable loss of power. A cockpit voice recording shows one pilot asking the other why they “cut off” the switches, to which the other pilot denied having done so.

Earlier on Thursday, the AAIB cautioned against drawing premature conclusions or spreading unverified information, particularly by sections of the international media, warning that such actions risked undermining the integrity of the investigation.

“It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing. We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process,” AAIB said in a statement. 

This appeal came amid heightened global scrutiny after reports—including one from the Wall Street Journal—claimed that cockpit voice recordings suggest the captain may have turned off the fuel control switches, leading to confusion in the cockpit.

AAIB has also appealed to all concerned to await the publication of the Final Investigation Report after completion of the Investigation. AAIB will also publish updates as and when required, which have technical and public interest. 

(With ANI Inputs)