Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India]: The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it will dispatch a team of American investigators to India to assist with the probe into the tragic Air India flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 people, including 12 crew members.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the NTSB said, “The NTSB will be leading a team of US investigators travelling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the crash of an Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday. Per international protocols under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13, all information on the investigation will be provided by the Government of India.”
This development comes hours after US President Donald Trump expressed deep sorrow over the incident, describing the crash as “horrific” and “one of the worst in aviation history.”
Trump, speaking at a Bill Signing Ceremony, assured India of full American support if required. “India is a big country, a strong country, and they’ll handle it, I’m sure. But I let them know that anything we can do, we will be over there immediately. It was a horrific crash. Looks like most are gone. Maybe you have a couple of survivors that we just heard of. That was a horrible crash. No one has any idea what it might be,” he said.
He added that preliminary signs suggest a technical failure rather than an explosion. “We saw the plane; it looked like it was flying pretty well. It didn’t look like there was an explosion. It looked like maybe the engines lost power. That is a terrible crash,” Trump noted.
Air India confirmed post-midnight on Friday that all 241 people onboard—including 229 passengers and 12 crew members—have died in the crash. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as flight AI171, crashed into a doctors’ hostel near the airport perimeter shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
Emergency rescue teams, including 90 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), continue operations at the crash site. Ahmedabad Police have set up an emergency helpline (07925620359) for public inquiries.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India will officially lead the investigation, with technical assistance from the NTSB and Boeing as per global aviation safety protocols.