‘Have Faith In Our Agencies’: Minister Rejects Italian Media Report On Air India Crash

Last Updated:February 15, 2026, 11:13 IST

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol denied the report and said investigation agencies are looking into the matter.

Days after an Italian media report on the Air India crash, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol rejected claims about the investigation into the crash in Ahmedabad last year, saying the probe is still underway.

His statement came after an Italian newspaper reported that Indian investigators were preparing to say in their final findings that Air India Flight 171 crashed because one of the pilots shut off the plane’s fuel controls.

Mohol denied the report and said investigation agencies are looking into the matter.

“I just want to inform you all that our investigation agencies are probing the matter. Should we have faith in our own agencies or outsiders? Our agencies are working on it," he was quoted as saying by PTI on Saturday.

“Once the final report is finalised, then only it will be justifiable to comment on it," he added.

What the Italian report claimed?

The report in Corriere della Sera said Indian investigators were preparing to state in their final report that Air India Flight 171 crashed because one of the pilots switched off the aircraft’s fuel switches in an act that was “almost certainly" intentional.

It said the claim would rely on findings that no technical fault was detected in the aircraft, suggesting the crash may have been caused by human action. The newspaper added that cockpit voice recordings, cleared of background noise, identified which pilot moved the fuel switch “from RUN to CUTOFF".

The report said it was still not known whether the final findings would directly assign blame. It named the pilot, Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in the crash, as being at the centre of the matter.

The publication said a conclusion pointing to the flight captain would be a “desired turning point" for US experts who have been presenting evidence to Indian authorities, as the Indian side has refused to accept a human role in the disaster.

It also said sound analysis clearly showed which pilot carried out the move and ruled out the possibility of an error.

AAIB says probe ongoing

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said reports claiming that the investigation into Air India Flight AI-171 had been completed were “incorrect and speculative".

“The investigation is still in progress. No final conclusions have been reached," it said.

The agency referred to its preliminary report and added that the final investigation report, containing conclusions and safety recommendations, would be published after completion of the probe in line with international norms.

In one of India’s deadliest air accidents, 260 people, including 241 passengers, were killed when Air India’s Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025.

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