Date: July 15, 2026 l By Kimberly Wilson
NEW DELHI, India — India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has entered the final phase of its investigation into last year's deadly Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash after completing a cockpit voice recorder transcript and conducting a psychological autopsy as part of its comprehensive inquiry.
The latest update was disclosed in a court filing submitted during legal proceedings related to the investigation. While the filing confirmed that investigators had completed the psychological assessment, it did not identify whose psychological autopsy was conducted or reveal any findings from that evaluation.
The crash occurred shortly after the Air India aircraft departed from Ahmedabad, India, en route to London. The Boeing 787 crashed moments after takeoff, killing 260 people, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India's recent history.
Investigators have completed a detailed transcript of the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder, a critical step in understanding the crew's actions and communications during the flight's final moments. The investigation has also included interviews with Boeing 787 pilots, Air India technical personnel, air traffic controllers, weather experts, maintenance staff, and specialists in human factors. Family members of the flight crew have also been interviewed as part of the inquiry.
The psychological autopsy forms part of the investigation's examination of human factors. Such assessments are commonly used in aviation investigations to help investigators better understand an individual's mental state before an accident by reviewing medical records, personal history, workplace information, and interviews with relatives and colleagues. The court filing, however, did not disclose any conclusions or indicate whether the assessment related to one or both members of the flight crew.
According to the court documents, investigators are now focusing on analyzing operational, technical, organizational, and human factors that may have contributed to the tragedy. One outstanding element of the investigation is data from the aircraft's engine monitoring unit, which investigators are still awaiting before completing their final analysis.
The investigation has attracted intense public attention following reports suggesting that one of the pilots may have deliberately moved the aircraft's fuel control switches to the cutoff position shortly after takeoff. Those reports prompted the captain's father to file a lawsuit, arguing that the speculation was premature and damaged his son's reputation before the investigation had been completed. Investigators have not publicly reached any final conclusions regarding the cause of the crash.
India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau emphasized that the inquiry remains focused on determining the facts surrounding the accident rather than assigning blame. Aviation accident investigations typically examine aircraft performance, maintenance records, crew training, weather conditions, airport operations, and human decision-making before identifying any contributing factors.
According to the court filing, the AAIB expects to complete the remaining investigative work within approximately six weeks. A draft final report is anticipated around October 2026, after which it will be shared with participating countries including the United States for review and comments before being finalized and released publicly.
The final report is expected to provide the most comprehensive account of the circumstances leading to the crash and may include recommendations aimed at improving aviation safety, pilot training, aircraft operations, and accident prevention measures. Until then, investigators have urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions before the evidence has been fully analyzed and officially presented.