Pilots’ body alleges gaps in AAIB’s Air India AI171 crash probe, cites undecoded Boeing 787 codes

The Federation of Indian Pilots has accused India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of serious gaps and poor transparency in the Air India AI171 crash probe, adding fresh pressure to one of the country’s most closely watched aviation investigations.

The pilots’ body said key Boeing 787 data codes had not been decoded. That allegation goes to the center of how investigators are reconstructing the final moments before the crash and what technical evidence has, or has not, been fully analyzed.

The complaint lands as families of victims continue to wait for a final public report on the June 12, 2025, crash in Ahmedabad. The crash has remained under investigation for a year, with public attention intensifying again on the anniversary.

What the pilots’ body is alleging

The Federation of Indian Pilots says the AAIB probe suffers from serious technical gaps and a lack of transparency. Its central claim is that data from the Boeing 787 has not been fully decoded, leaving important questions about the state of the investigation.

That matters because decoded flight data is one of the most important tools investigators use to understand aircraft performance, system behavior, and crew actions in the moments before a crash. If key codes remain unresolved, it can slow analysis or limit how much can be publicly explained.

The pilots’ body has framed the issue as more than a delay. Its criticism suggests concern that the investigation is not being communicated clearly enough to pilots, families, and the broader public.

Official response

On the first anniversary of the crash, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the investigation is continuing with diligence and professionalism. His comments presented the probe as active and still moving through the process rather than stalled.

AAIB has also said the investigation is in its final analysis stage and urged restraint from speculation while the work continues. That statement indicates the bureau sees the case as nearing a concluding technical phase, even as it has not yet published a final report.

The official posture and the pilots’ body’s criticism now sit in direct tension. One side is arguing that the investigation lacks transparency and has unresolved decoding issues; the other is saying the work is still progressing carefully toward completion.

Why the data issue matters

The dispute over undecoded Boeing 787 codes matters because the completeness of the technical record affects confidence in any eventual findings. The more investigators can verify from flight data, the more precise the final explanation of the crash can be.

If important data has not yet been decoded, that may explain why the final report has not been released. If it has been decoded but not yet publicly detailed, that raises a separate transparency question. The available reporting does not settle which of those possibilities is correct.

Either way, the allegation touches the credibility of the investigation itself, not just its timetable. For families still waiting for answers, that distinction is significant.

The timeline and the stakes

Air India AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The case has since remained under AAIB investigation, and the first anniversary has renewed scrutiny of how much progress has actually been made.

The latest allegations matter because the crash inquiry carries high stakes for several groups at once: victims’ families seeking closure, pilots wanting confidence in the process, investigators trying to establish a reliable record, and Air India facing ongoing public attention over the disaster.

The episode also speaks to the broader credibility of India’s aviation accident investigation process. In a fatal commercial crash, the public expects both technical rigor and clear communication about what has been established.

What happens next

The next developments to watch are a direct AAIB response to the pilots’ body’s decoding allegation, any publication of more technical detail, and the final report or next formal update from the bureau.

For now, the confirmed position is that the probe remains active. The minister says it is continuing diligently, AAIB says it is in its final analysis stage, and the Federation of Indian Pilots says the investigation still has serious gaps that need to be addressed.