The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s preliminary report into the Air India AI-171 crash has not only left grieving families with more questions than answers, but also sparked a fierce war of words between the government and Opposition, with accusations of cover-up, corporate pressure, and international media bias flying thick and fast.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale criticised the timing and posted on X: "Like everything the Modi Govt does, the report was released late in the night at 2 am in the cover and silence of darkness… There are ZERO updates from AAIB or the Govt for 30 days. Unlike the US, UK, or EU, India’s air accident bureau is NOT independent & is completely under Govt control. Naturally, it will NEVER point out any instance of govt failure. Anything that shows incompetence of part of the government will be BURIED.”

RJD leader Manoj Jha said, "A big company is involved; in fact, a huge amount of money is involved. Was there a technical glitch because of which the switch automatically went off? Who will ask? Lives were lost. Governments are controlled by huge amounts of money."

Boeing, in a brief statement, said: “Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected on the ground in Ahmedabad. We continue to support the investigation and our customer.”

As per the EAFR (Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder) data, almost immediately after take-off both engines of the aircraft shut down — their fuel cutoff switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF just one second apart.

The report noted: “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”

This single moment — one second apart, two switches flipped — has become the focus of a growing debate.

The Centre has promised action on those found responsible.

Minister of state for civil aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, emphasised the AAIB’s autonomy: "Until the final report comes out, we should not arrive at any conclusion. AAIB is an autonomous authority, and the ministry does not interfere in their work."

Union minister Prataprao Jadhav added, "Based on further probe, action will be taken on those found responsible."

Pilot and BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy has defended the crew: "AAIB report states that aircraft took flight normally, meaning it was capable of getting airborne. The jet fuel switch was in its required position. Later, the pilots reported engine power decreasing. Further probe will bring out why the engines had 'flame out'. Captain Sabharwal and his co-pilot, using their years of experience, tried to relight the engines."

Following the release of the AAIB's preliminary report, BBC published headlines suggesting that the crash was caused by the pilots cutting off fuel to the engines, and that there was “no fault in the aircraft.” The coverage triggered outrage for allegedly misrepresenting the findings of the investigation.

Veteran journalist Vir Sanghvi criticised the narrative and implied that Boeing wants to blame the pilots.

"The leaks selectively quoting (& misinterpreting) the preliminary report into the @airindia crash clearly originate in the West where Boeing, engine manufacturers etc want to blame the pilots and claim that they themselves were not culpable. What is worrying is when Indian media and social media repeat these misleading reports & irresponsibly slander the dead pilots who are not here to defend themselves. Anyone who follows aviation knows that ‘pilot error’ is the automatic response of manufacturers when a plane goes down because it lets the fat cats off the hook," Sanghvi said.

Journalist Barkha Dutt also called out the BBC.

"Hey @BBCNews @BBCWorld this is absolutely incorrect — nowhere in the Air India crash report does it say the pilots cut off fuel to the engines and that there is no fault in the plane. Pretty shocking to see this scurrilous headline. In fact the report mentions an FAA advisory on a fuel lock problem in Boeing planes which oddly it does not then advise further investigation on," Dutt said.

"It specially mentions the CVR and how pilots discuss and refute fuel switches being disabled by them. Why would you not consider a fuel switch malfunction given the documented FAA advisory? In any case this headline is entirely wrong," she added.

The AAIB’s preliminary report has mentioned that there are no recommended actions yet as it is an ongoing investigation.

“At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers. Investigation is continuing and the investigation team will review and examine additional evidence, records and information that is being sought from the stakeholders,” the report said.

Air India flight AI-171 — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing all 231 on board and five on the ground. One month later, family members of the victims are still looking for answers.

Yashpal Singh Vansdiya, who lost his parents, asked, "Based on the report, which mentions one pilot asking the other if he has turned off the switch, it means there were some technical issues. Were all preventive checks of the aircraft done? I hope I get answers to all these questions."