Sources confirm the investigation into the fatal Air India crash that claimed 158 lives is running behind schedule, with UK aviation experts now demanding extra time to piece together the wreckage. Leaked documents from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) reveal that crucial black box data remains incomplete, and conflicting cockpit voice recordings have deepened the mystery of what brought down Flight AI-142 over the Atlantic. 'This is not a routine probe,' a senior investigator told me on condition of anonymity.
'We are dealing with a labyrinth of technical failures, human error, and potential corporate negligence.' The crash, which occurred on 3 March off the coast of Ireland, has already sparked a diplomatic row between New Delhi and London over access to maintenance records from Air India's flagged carrier operations. My sources confirm that the AAIB has requested an additional 90 days to complete its preliminary report, citing the complexity of analysing the Boeing 787's composite fuselage damage.
But the delay has infuriated victims' families, who accuse both governments of foot-dragging. 'Every day we wait, evidence goes cold,' said Sarah O'Connell, whose husband was the flight's first officer. Meanwhile, unverified reports suggest a whistleblower inside Air India's engineering division has come forward with records of repeated engine anomalies on the same aircraft type.
The AAIB refuses to comment on the alleged documents, but one investigator admitted off the record: 'The paper trail is bloody – ledger entries that don't add up, maintenance logs that disappear.' The crash has also raised uncomfortable questions about regulatory oversight. In 2022, the UK Civil Aviation Authority flagged 'systemic lapses' in Air India's safety culture, yet no action was taken.
Now, with the investigation stalled, the world waits for answers that may never come clean. As one former NTSB official put it: 'When the suits need more time, it usually means they're trying to bury something.
