Air India Crash Probe Leans Toward Deliberate Pilot Action

Aircraft debris at the crash site of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, on June 12, 2025.Photographer: Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg

India’s probe into last year’s Boeing Co. 787 jet crash is increasingly homing in on deliberate pilot action as the probable cause, according to people familiar with the findings, marking a concession by authorities previously resistant to that scenario.

Investigators have ruled out mechanical failure and not found evidence of sabotage either, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the findings aren’t yet public. This leaves pilot action as the strongest line of inquiry.