Air India Crash Preliminary Report Next Week, Will Outline Possible Causes

The preliminary probe report on the Air India crash, in which at least 270 people were killed - including 241 on board the flight - is expected to be released by July 11. The document, which is likely to be four to five pages long, will be crucial because it will provide initial insights into the crash, including the possible causes. 

Sources said the report will include details about the aircraft, which was a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, the crew, conditions at the Ahmedabad airport, and the weather on June 12, when Air India flight 171 crashed, roughly 30 seconds after taking off. 

Details about the wreckage will also be part of the report, as will the name of the investigator in charge. The document will chart the progress of the probe, outline the next steps that need to be taken and highlight areas that need further investigation. 

As per International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, India is required to file a preliminary report within 30 days of the crash. 

'All Angles'

Just days ago, the junior minister for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol had told NDTV that all angles are being investigated in the crash, including sabotage.

"It (the plane crash) was an unfortunate incident. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full investigation into it... It is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage. The CCTV footage is being reviewed and all angles are being assessed... several agencies are working on it," he had said.

"It has never happened that both engines have shut down together... Once the (full) probe report comes out, we will be able to ascertain if it was an engine problem or fuel supply issue or why both the engines had stopped functioning. There is a CVR (cockpit voice recorder) in the black box which has stored the conversation between the two pilots. It is too early to say anything but whatever it is, it will come out," the minister added.

The complete probe report is expected in roughly two months from now, which would be three months from the day of the crash. 

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was operating as Air India flight AI-171 to London, had taken off from Ahmedabad on the afternoon of June 12 and crashed into the complex of the BJ Medical College - an aerial distance of less than 2 km. The crash took place at 1.39 pm, just 32 seconds after the aircraft took off.

Of the 242 people, including 10 crew members and two pilots, on board the flight, only one - 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British-Indian who was returning to the UK after a visit - survived. At least 30 people on the ground, including trainee doctors, were also killed.