Air India crash probe not the first to miss one-year deadline
Air India crash probe report is likely to be delayed because the examination of the engines is not yet complete.
- Jun 11, 2026,
- Updated Jun 11, 2026 11:19 AM IST
Air India crash report: The Air India crash probe report is not likely to meet the one-year deadline on Friday. This is because an examination of the engines in the US are yet to be completed. Instead the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to issue a status report.
The investigation is, needless to say, complex and time consuming. Moreover, the engines are in the US because only a few facilities across the globe have the equipment required to dismantle the engine.
Why the one-year deadline?
Under the international rules, a final report needs to be filed within a year of an accident. However, due to the complex nature of the investigations, sometimes the deadline is not met. In such a case, an interim statement must be issued on each anniversary.
MUST READ | Air India crash report: Investigators to miss one-year deadline; here’s what’s happening
This is different from the preliminary report that is required to be filed within 30 days of the accident. The preliminary report is not a conclusive one and only points towards the direction the investigation is expected to take.
Air India not the only one…
The Indian airline is not the only one that would or has missed the one-year deadline. In case of the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed in March 2019, the final report was not issued till December 2022.
The Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 that disappeared from radar in March 2014 is another such case, even though this one particularly has its own unique factors. To begin with, massive searches were conducted to find the remains of the lost aircraft that delayed the report significantly. The Malaysian government finally filed a report in July 2018, which was inconclusive.
Investigators that looked into Air France 447 that crashed in the South Atlantic 2009 took nearly two years just to find the wreckage. The investigation was then completed in 2012, during which time three preliminary reports were published.
In fact, a report by the IATA last year, soon after Air India’s preliminary report, stated that “of all the accidents that happened between 2018 and 2023, 43 per cent of the investigations have failed to publish a final report”.
“This is not an acceptable result. And we place emphasis on the importance of the preliminary report because failure to comply with ICAO standards at that early stage of investigation often foreshadows failure in final reporting,” said the IATA report.
Air India crash report: The Air India crash probe report is not likely to meet the one-year deadline on Friday. This is because an examination of the engines in the US are yet to be completed. Instead the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to issue a status report.
The investigation is, needless to say, complex and time consuming. Moreover, the engines are in the US because only a few facilities across the globe have the equipment required to dismantle the engine.
Why the one-year deadline?
Under the international rules, a final report needs to be filed within a year of an accident. However, due to the complex nature of the investigations, sometimes the deadline is not met. In such a case, an interim statement must be issued on each anniversary.
MUST READ | Air India crash report: Investigators to miss one-year deadline; here’s what’s happening
This is different from the preliminary report that is required to be filed within 30 days of the accident. The preliminary report is not a conclusive one and only points towards the direction the investigation is expected to take.
Air India not the only one…
The Indian airline is not the only one that would or has missed the one-year deadline. In case of the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed in March 2019, the final report was not issued till December 2022.
The Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 that disappeared from radar in March 2014 is another such case, even though this one particularly has its own unique factors. To begin with, massive searches were conducted to find the remains of the lost aircraft that delayed the report significantly. The Malaysian government finally filed a report in July 2018, which was inconclusive.
Investigators that looked into Air France 447 that crashed in the South Atlantic 2009 took nearly two years just to find the wreckage. The investigation was then completed in 2012, during which time three preliminary reports were published.
In fact, a report by the IATA last year, soon after Air India’s preliminary report, stated that “of all the accidents that happened between 2018 and 2023, 43 per cent of the investigations have failed to publish a final report”.
“This is not an acceptable result. And we place emphasis on the importance of the preliminary report because failure to comply with ICAO standards at that early stage of investigation often foreshadows failure in final reporting,” said the IATA report.