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New Delhi, July 21, 2025 — Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has informed the Rajya Sabha that no adverse trends were observed in Air India’s reliability reports over the six months preceding the crash of Flight AI 171, which tragically crashed near Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025 .
🔍 Key Takeaways
- According to Mohol’s written response to a parliamentary question, no signals of potential safety or operational issues emerged in the data for the aircraft involved in— — Flight AI 171 — in the six months leading up to the accident, as reflected in Air India’s internal reliability reports .
- During the same timeframe, the DGCA issued nine show‑cause notices to Air India, related to five distinct safety violations. Enforcement action has been finalized in one case, while investigations continue on the others .
- Mohol indicated that the AAIB’s preliminary investigative report, released on July 12, is available online and forms part of a broader inquiry governed by Rule 11 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents & Incidents) Rules, 2017 .
🚨 Investigation in Progress
- The preliminary report outlines that both engine fuel control switches moved to the “CUTOFF” position shortly after takeoff, leading to complete thrust loss and the subsequent crash.
- While some experts suggest the switch-off may have been mechanical or inadvertent, others argue the voice recordings and switch design make accidental activation improbable—raising suspicions of intentional action or system flaw
- Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has emphasized that the AAIB is conducting an unbiased, rule‑based investigation, and that the full final report—expected in around three months—should be awaited before drawing conclusions .
📊 Context & Implications
- The absence of adverse reliability trends in the six months prior highlights that, on paper, the aircraft showed no overt warning signs in maintenance logs or operational data leading up to the fatal incident.
- The issuance of multiple DGCA notices underscores regulatory concerns over safety compliance within Air India’s operations, even if not specific to the AI171 aircraft itself .
- The preliminary crash report’s lack of definitive cause continues to spark debate—ranging from manufacturing defects or mechanical malfunction to human factors and cockpit interventions .
