AI-171 crash: Preliminary report finds no fault in Air India’s operations, says CEO Campbell Wilson

New Delhi: Air India’s managing director and chief executive officer (MD&CEO) Campbell Wilson has said that the preliminary investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the AI-171 crash found no fault with the airline’s operations or practices.

Speaking at the Aviation India 2025 summit, Wilson said the July report concluded there was “nothing wrong” with Air India’s procedures or aircraft maintenance that required any changes.

However, he added that the airline continues to introspect and improve its systems. “Anything that happens in the industry, whether that’s us or others, is a cause for introspection. It’s a cause for reviewing practices,” Wilson said.

“The interim report indicated that there was nothing wrong with aircraft engines or practices that required changing. But, of course, we’re always looking at how we can keep improving, keep getting better, and keep learning,” he added.

The comments came in the backdrop of the tragic Air India Flight AI-171 crash on June 12.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flying from Ahmedabad to London, crashed into a college building shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and leaving only one survivor.

“This is really the first public engagement that we’ve done in India since that tragic day,” Wilson said during the panel discussion.

“It was absolutely devastating for the people involved, for the families of those involved, for the company, and for our staff,” he added.

The AAIB’s preliminary report, released on July 12, revealed that fuel supply to both engines was cut off shortly after takeoff.

The two fuel control switches were moved to the “cutoff” position in quick succession. Although the switches were turned back on about 10 seconds later, the engines had already flamed out, leading to the crash.

The report noted that one pilot asked the other why he had moved the switches, but the other denied doing so.

The report did not identify who said what. While the AAIB has not ruled out technical faults, it said aviation medicine and psychology experts are part of the ongoing probe.

Wilson said Air India has been fully cooperating with investigators, even though the airline is not directly involved in the official probe.

IANS