Overview
Indian investigators probing the June 12, 2025 Air India Boeing 787 crash are assembling an interim report rather than issuing a final report ahead of the accident's anniversary, according to a person with direct knowledge of the investigation. The interim document, being prepared by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), is expected to be more detailed than the 15-page preliminary report released last July and will review potential primary causes and other contributing factors.
What the preliminary report found
The 15-page preliminary account described how the Dreamliner’s engine fuel switches appeared to have moved nearly at the same time and subsequently starved the engines of fuel shortly after the Airbus flight - correction: shortly after the Boeing 787 took off on the Ahmedabad to London leg on June 12, 2025. A recording of cockpit dialogue included in earlier assessments by U.S. officials supported the interpretation that the captain cut fuel flow to the engines, although the AAIB at the time cautioned that it was too soon to draw definite conclusions.
Why an interim report is being prepared
By opting to issue an interim statement, Indian authorities will not be obliged to circulate findings in advance to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB is a participating body in the probe because the aircraft was designed and manufactured in the United States and, under the established consultation process, would be permitted to comment on a final report. The interim report route also responds to the rule that if a final report cannot be completed within a year of an accident, an interim statement should be issued on the anniversary.
The person with direct knowledge said the final report would not be ready by the anniversary, calling the investigation "very complex" and noting that the interim report still has to be routed to government authorities. A second source also said investigators remain engaged in the probe and require additional time. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity because internal investigation matters are confidential.
Consultation and international participation
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sets a consultation process for draft final reports that typically includes a 30-day comment period, which may be extended to 60 days. That review mechanism applies to draft final reports but does not govern interim statements. The AAIB, India’s civil aviation ministry and Air India did not provide comment when contacted. ICAO and the NTSB, which is supporting the investigation, declined to comment. Boeing, serving as a technical adviser, referred inquiries back to the AAIB.
Precedent for extended investigations
Investigations sometimes extend well beyond the one-year guideline. The probe into the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crash is an example: Ethiopian investigators released a detailed interim report within a year, but the final report was not published until December 2022. In that instance the NTSB first received a draft in January 2021 and later issued a public critique of aspects of the Ethiopian report.
Separate but related fuel switch inquiry
The forthcoming interim statement comes while a distinct investigation into fuel switch behavior is underway following an Air India Dreamliner flight from London to Bengaluru in February this year. During engine start on that flight, pilots reported that the fuel switches failed to remain in the "run" position on the first two attempts when light vertical pressure was applied, though they were stable on a third try before takeoff. The crew reported the anomaly after landing in India.
Officials from India’s regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), plan to travel to Seattle in June to observe Boeing's testing of the switches, which Indian officials described in confidential exchanges as "sensitive." That planned visit has refocused attention on the switches, which are considered central to last year's crash investigation. Some investigators working on the crash probe were reportedly unaware of the DGCA’s proposed Seattle trip, the first person said.
Boeing has said it is supporting Air India on the London-Bengaluru matter, and U.K. authorities have indicated their review of that incident is ongoing. The DGCA did not respond to a request for comment.
Next steps and outstanding questions
The interim report will be submitted to government authorities as part of the continuing investigative process. The timing of a final report remains unclear, and the NTSB would be positioned to comment once a final draft is distributed through the formal consultation process. For victims' families, regulators and industry participants, the interim statement may provide a fuller public accounting than the preliminary summary, but it will not substitute for the comprehensive conclusions that a final report could provide.
The investigation continues to involve multiple domestic and international agencies, technical advisers and regulatory observers, and officials have signaled that resolving the complex technical and human factors at the heart of the inquiry will take further time.