The ongoing national investigation into the initial report on the May 22, 2026 runaway crash of Air India Flight AI-171 is reaching completion. This devastating accident took place on a busy, residential street in Ahmedabad, India. There were 242 people on board the plane. Tragically, the accident killed 241 passengers and crew, in addition to at least 29 people on the ground.
Deepak Sathe, the captain of the flight, brought a wealth of experience to the cockpit with 15,638 hours of flying time. He was still active, and at 56 years old, was an instructor for Air India. Clive Kunder, the co-pilot, was much younger at 32 years of age and had accumulated 3,403 hours of flight experience. Combined, they had already flown about 9,000 hours on the Boeing 787, a testament to their ability at operating complex commercial aircraft.
Recovery of Black Boxes
On the heels of the September crash, black boxes from that flight were recovered within days by investigators. The depth of investigation featured needful evidence, too, including the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. These recordings were statistically clustered and painstakingly examined by expert researchers in India. The information downloaded from these devices should help piece together what happened in the moments before the crash.
Look for a preliminary report on the crash in the coming 30 days. A detailed final report will come in roughly a year’s time. The T.S.A. and the entire aviation community are keenly awaiting these findings to understand what happened during that fateful last flight.
“You can’t bump them and they move” – John Cox
Specialists are studying the information contained in the doghouses. They’re in the process of looking into the conditions surrounding that crash to ascertain whether any operational errors contributed to the tragedy. Many questions have been raised about the choices made by the pilots in the crucial minutes before the crash.
“Did they move on their own or did they move because of the pilots? And if they were moved because of a pilot, why?” – Anthony Brickhouse
Regulatory Concerns for Air India
In addition to the ongoing investigation into the crash, India’s aviation watchdog has raised alarms regarding Air India’s operational practices. In fact, a string of reports have found that Air India was warned multiple times by regulatory authorities for these grave infractions. In June, we saw violations involving pilot duty time. On top of those were concerns related to three Airbus aircraft which had yellowing emergency escape slides with overdue checks.
These matters show a continued lack of accountability from Air India’s operations structure and a blatant disregard to following safety procedures. The new emphasis on pilot duty/flight time and rest requirements underscores the real danger of potential pilot fatigue. This concern isn’t just theoretical—it threatens the safety of flight operations.
The Impact of the Tragedy
The new reality of this tragic accident reaches far beyond those who were onboard Flight AI-171. Local residents in Ahmedabad, too, are grieving the tragic loss of life. At most 29 people on the ground were killed due to the crash. Nearly five years later, the affected community still mourns and seeks answers about how such an unimaginable disaster was possible.
Air India continues to be in the crosshairs of regulators. Families of victims are continuing to fight for justice and accountability for this deadly incident. As investigations proceed, families and stakeholders alike are hoping for stronger regulations and safety measures that will ensure such tragedies never happen again.
