Ahmedabad: Family members of victims of the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad have demanded that the final investigation report be “fair” and that the Black Box and raw flight data be shared transparently with relatives.
They also said the investigation should not attribute responsibility solely to the pilots without fully disclosing the technical findings, while speaking at a gathering in Ahmedabad ahead of the first anniversary of the tragedy.
The London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12 last year, killing 260 people, including passengers, crew members and people on the ground.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the crash, while Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu recently said the final report was likely within a month.
At the gathering, around 50 affected families said compensation alone could not answer questions surrounding the cause of the accident and repeatedly called for the release of Black Box data and the “truth” behind the crash.
Krutik Patel, a resident of Kapadvanj in Gujarat’s Kheda district, told IANS that his 24-year-old younger brother, Dirth Patel, died in the crash while travelling back to Leeds in the UK.
He confirmed that the family had received the compensation announced by Tata Sons and Air India, but said their primary demand was for a transparent probe.
“Whatever report comes, it should be a fair report. It should not simply put all the blame on the pilot,” he told IANS.
He further added, “Whatever happened on the flight, the truth should come out. Since everything that happens during the flight is recorded in the Black Box, all of that should come out fairly. It should not be that someone publishes a false report.”
Patel said his family did not believe the crash was caused by pilot error alone and alleged there may have been technical and maintenance issues with the aircraft.
13/05/2026 IANS/Morung Express
