Air India Crash Probe Nears Final Stage, Final Report Expected in October

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has entered the final phase of its investigation into the Air India Boeing 787 crash that killed 260 people, after preparing the cockpit voice recorder transcript, conducting a psychological autopsy and completing key witness interviews, according to a court filing. The agency expects to complete the remaining investigation within six weeks, with a draft final report likely to be circulated to participating countries in October before its public release.

The court filing did not identify whose psychological autopsy was conducted or disclose any findings on the crash of the Boeing 787, which went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad last year, killing 260 people.

The AAIB said analysis of data retrieved in late May from an engine monitoring unit was still awaited, while an assessment of certain organisational factors remained in progress.

Investigators have interviewed Air India Boeing 787 pilots, crew members who had previously flown with the pilots of the crashed aircraft, technical personnel involved in preparing the jet, air traffic controllers, weather officials and human-factors specialists.

The filing also said investigators visited the homes of the flight crew's families during the early stages of the probe.

One of those visits prompted captain Pushkar Raj Sabharwal's father to file a lawsuit after alleging investigators implied his son had cut fuel to the aircraft's engines shortly after take-off. The lawsuit led to the AAIB's latest disclosures.

The AAIB said media speculation and narratives attributing blame to the pilots had caused some witnesses to become "restrictive and non-responsive".

According to the filing, the investigation has now entered the analysis phase, with findings and conclusions being drawn across operational, technical, human-factors and organisational aspects.

The agency said the remaining investigation activities are expected to be completed within about six weeks, subject to pending "external dependencies".

A draft final report is expected around October and will be shared with relevant participating countries, including the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, for comments before it is finalised and made public.

Reuters reported last year that, according to an early assessment by U.S. officials, cockpit voice recordings supported the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the aircraft's engines. The AAIB had then said it was "too early to reach any definite conclusions."

(Reuters' inputs)