India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in recent history: the crash of Air India’s AI171 (VT-ANB). But aside from a preliminary report and a guarded public appeal, the bureau has communicated little else – highlighting a growing concern over AAIB’s lack of transparency in the handling of this high-stakes investigation.
This muted approach comes even as a recent The Wall Street Journal report raises serious questions about pilot actions, and public pressure in India grows for the release of cockpit voice recordings or transcripts. The AAIB’s preliminary report included just two paraphrased lines of crew communication, with no direct quotes, timestamps, or contextual detail. In the absence of clearer disclosures, speculation has continued to grow.
Its July 17 appeal urged the media and public not to speculate and said updates would be shared only “as and when required” and if deemed of “technical and public interest.” Yet at the time, the AAIB had no public-facing social media presence to even share the statement. In today’s digital-first world, where investigators regularly provide real-time updates even for minor aviation incidents, this level of silence feels increasingly out of step.
By contrast, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recognized as a benchmark for real-time transparency. A case in point: its handling of the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 door plug blowout last year. While the incident was nowhere near the scale of the Air India crash, the NTSB responded with structured urgency and full public visibility.
The NTSB Alaska Airlines Case Study
The NTSB operates a dedicated X (formerly Twitter) handle, @NTSB_Newsroom, through which it publishes timely and official updates on investigations. The agency’s structural independence is evident in its conduct. It does not report to any ministry or government department. Its job is to find the truth and share it — unfiltered, directly with the public.
In the Alaska Airlines case, the NTSB launched the investigation the day after the incident. The timeline of what it did in the lead-up to the preliminary report reveals that it:
- Held multiple media briefings within the first three days of the incident
- Shared real-time updates, images, and video via @NTSB_Newsroom showing how the door plug was recovered, transported, and examined
- Released press imagery and B-roll footage
- Announced the exact time the preliminary report would be published
Even after the preliminary report’s release, transparency continued. The NTSB shared a witness lineup, opened a public docket and Live-streamed its investigative hearing. All of this was hosted on a dedicated investigation webpage containing visuals, lab findings, and press materials — forming a coherent and evolving public record.
The NTSB approach has shown that it’s possible to remain professional, measured, and technically sound, while also keeping the public informed.
The result: a clear, trusted narrative shaped by facts and evidence, leaving no room for speculation.
AAIB’s Minimalist Approach
In stark contrast, the AAIB has adopted a far more opaque approach to communicating about the AI171 crash investigation.
Since the crash, the agency has released just two documents: a 15-page preliminary report and a brief public appeal on July 17. Yet the lack of public-facing communication has done little to inspire confidence in the credibility of the investigation. There have been no media briefings, no prior notice of the report’s release, no dedicated investigation webpage, and no communication about next steps — and the list could go on. The AAIB’s communication posture has been reactive at best, and virtually invisible to the wider public.
Even locating the AAIB’s latest public appeal requires navigating to the ‘What’s New’ section of its website, which is a far cry from real-time, accessible communication.
As The Aviation Brief previously noted in our opinion piece on AAIB’s website and structural challenges, India’s primary accident investigation body suffers from a lack of modern, public-facing infrastructure.
AAIB’s lack of transparency and reluctance to disclose more, including detailed cockpit voice transcripts, may stem from caution. But in a post-MH370, post-Ethiopian 302 world, opacity no longer inspires confidence. It raises red flags.
Transparency after all isn’t about media pressure or public spectacle. It’s about reducing the spread of misinformation, supporting victims’ families with clarity, informing the global aviation community and reinforcing accountability at every level of the system.
India’s Aviation Standing Deserves Better
India is a significant player in the global aviation landscape and one of the fastest-growing civil aviation hubs. A crash of this magnitude, involving hundreds of lives and carrying far-reaching systemic implications, demands not only a thorough investigation but one that is visibly thorough and transparent.
The AAIB’s current posture risks alienating the very public it is meant to reassure. An investigation into a tragedy of this scale is not just a technical exercise; it is a test of public trust. And for the AAIB to meet that responsibility, transparent communication must be central to its mission.
Because when there is a vacuum of information, speculation inevitably fills it — as it is doing today.
Read: Opinion: Truth, Unfiltered – A Case for True Independence of the AAIB
💬 Join the conversation: We’d love to hear your take on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn.
