More than a year after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly following take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed the Supreme Court that it expects to complete its investigation within six weeks, with a “draft final report” likely to be ready by October.“In view of the nature, scale and complexity of the present accident, the AAIB has carefully assessed the timeline for completion of the investigation. In all probability, the investigative activities, subject to the resolution of pending external dependencies, are expected to be completed within six weeks,” states an affidavit filed on behalf of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the AAIB ahead of a July 17 hearing in a batch of petitions seeking an independent investigation into the crash.As required under the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the draft report will first be shared with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the United States agency representing the State of Design and Manufacture, for its comments. According to the Centre, this consultation process could take between 30 and 60 days, depending on the nature and complexity of the responses received.The Union government has further stated that the investigating team had interviewed several witnesses, including Air India and Boeing 787 pilots, crew members who had previously flown with the pilots of the accident aircraft, air traffic control (ATC) personnel, and specialists in human factors and crew resource management (CRM). However, it acknowledged that “media speculation” and the “narrative attributing blameworthiness to the pilots” had made some witnesses “restrictive and non-responsive” during the course of the investigation.‘No scope for parallel probe’The affidavit has also opposed the petitioners’ demand for a court-monitored or independent inquiry, contending that the investigation was being conducted strictly in accordance with international standards and the applicable statutory framework, leaving no scope either for judicial supervision or a parallel probe.“It is thus respectfully submitted that the statutory and treaty framework governing aircraft accident investigation constitutes a carefully layered legal regime... This constitutes a complete code, leaving no lacuna that could justify the creation of a parallel investigative body,” the affidavit stated.The AAIB has further informed the court that it has completed 49 of the 66 procedural steps prescribed for the investigation of a serious aircraft accident. According to the affidavit, every safeguard—including the preservation of evidence, recovery and analysis of the flight recorders, participation of accredited representatives, technical examination of aircraft systems, stakeholder consultation and circulation of the draft report—is being “scrupulously followed”.Prohibition on disclosure of cockpit recordingsNotably, the Bureau has opposed the petitioners’ request for access to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recordings, contending that Rule 17(5) of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 (2025 Rules), imposes “an absolute statutory prohibition” on the public disclosure of cockpit voice recordings and airborne image recordings.“If witnesses and persons involved in aircraft operation know that their statements may be disclosed in aircraft accident or public proceedings, they will become guarded or unwilling to cooperate, thereby defeating the very purpose of safety investigation,” the affidavit states.The AAIB has further stated that, since its establishment in July 2012, it has completed 218 investigations, comprising 97 accidents, 120 serious incidents and one incident, which, according to the Bureau, demonstrates its technical competence and institutional capacity to investigate the Ahmedabad crash.The affidavit has also clarified that the sole purpose of an aircraft accident investigation is to enhance aviation safety and prevent future accidents, and not to apportion blame or determine civil or criminal liability. It further pointed out that, in accordance with Rule 17(3) of the 2025 Rules, the final report shall not disclose the identities of persons involved in the accident or incident.Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, crashed within moments of taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The accident claimed the lives of all but one of the 241 persons on board and also killed 19 people on the ground.Among those seeking an independent investigation is the father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots of the ill-fated flight. He has challenged the AAIB’s preliminary report, contending that it has fuelled speculation of possible pilot error. Separately, the NGO Safety Matters Foundation has also sought the constitution of a formal inqury committee into the accident.Earlier, the apex court had asked the Union government to place on record the procedural protocol governing the AAIB probe, observing that proceedings should not become a “blame game”. “There is a lot of anxiety and queries in the minds of pilots, close relatives [of those who died]... We are also eagerly waiting for the findings of the investigation. We also want to see what they have to say,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had said.