AI-171: Media reports on AAIB findings speculative, probe to take time, says NTSB

As speculation mounts over the cause of the Air India Flight 171 crash, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for restraint, warning that recent media coverage has been “premature and speculative.”

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, on the social media platform X, backed India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe. “We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation,” Homendy said.

“India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time,” she added, urging that “all investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB.”

The comments come just days after the AAIB released its preliminary findings into the crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was powered by General Electric engines. The report flagged confusion in the cockpit shortly after takeoff, triggered by the pilots discovering that the fuel control switches were turned off, which cut fuel supply to both engines. While the report confirmed the error, it did not flag any anomalies with the aircraft or the engines.

Ever since the report was made public, aviation forums and media coverage have been flooded with speculation, ranging from pilot error to possible training lapses, though the AAIB in another statement reiterated its commitment to a meticulous and impartial investigation while cautioning against premature conclusions being drawn in the public domain. The NTSB’s intervention, meanwhile, signals a clear attempt to cool the noise while a formal investigation is still in motion.

The AAIB, which was set up in 2012 under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, has conducted investigations into 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents. It describes its track record as “flawless,” and has emphasised the importance of relying on verified facts over conjecture.

The probe into Flight 171, registered as VT-ANB, is one among several investigations currently being handled by the bureau. For now, the agency is urging the public and the press to allow the process to run its course, without drawing conclusions too early.