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New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday said it is too early to draw any “definite conclusions” on what led to the Air India plane crash as the probe is still on and that the final report will come out with the root causes while it urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.

The comments come against the backdrop of reports suggesting that pilot error led to the crash of the Air India plane that killed 260 people on June 12. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft, enroute from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after take off.

“It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing,” AAIB Director General G V G Yugandhar said in a statement.

Appealing to all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report, AAIB said this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards safety of Indian aviation industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts.

Quoting people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation, the Wall Street Journal has reported that a black box recording of dialogue between the flight’s two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane’s two engines.

At the weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that on the Air India plane crash, one will have to wait for the concerned government authority to make the report public.

“It is too premature for all of us to talk about what’s in it, what’s not in it. So we will have to wait for the final report to come out,” he said.

He was responding to queries on media reports saying that it was the captain of the aircraft who was responsible for the crash.

The AAIB said the purpose of its investigation and preliminary report is “to provide information about ‘WHAT’ happened. The preliminary report has to be seen in this light. At this stage, it is too early to reach to any definite conclusions. The investigation by AAIB is still not complete. The final investigation report will come out with root causes and recommendations”.

After the release of its preliminary report on July 12, this is the first official comments from the AAIB amidst concerns raised in certain quarters about the the initial report as well as the cause of the accident.

Noting that it will publish updates, as and when required, which have technical and public interest, AAIB also urged both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process.

“It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on ground,” it said and added that the accident has been the most devastating accident in recent aviation history.

The investigation is being undertaken in a rigorous and most professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols, the statement said.

Against the backdrop of concerns raised about the preliminary probe report, AAIB asserted that it has a flawless record in investigating 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents since its inception in 2012.

“Even now, apart from investigating in the ill-fated Air India’s B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB, several other accidents and serious incidents are under investigation,” the statement noted.

AAIB also appealed to all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report after completion of the probe.

Veteran pilot and aviation consultant Captain Ehsan Khalid has suggested that investigators should also focus on a possible fault in flight AI171’s stabilizer, which he believes could have created conditions for the plane’s crash, albeit due to an unintended mistake by the pilot.

Air India flight 171, which crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 on board and 19 on the ground, had arrived from Delhi before its onward journey to London Gatwick on June 12. The crew reported a fault with the stabilizer to engineers in Ahmedabad who fixed it, according to a preliminary report into the investigation released on July 12.

The stabilizer is part of the aircraft’s tail and helps in pitching up and down its nose on command from the pilot.

Meanwhile, various pilots’ groupings have cautioned against speculations regarding the cause of the crash and have sought a transparent probe.

On Thursday, the Air Line Pilots’ Association – India (ALPA India) said the crew of the crashed AI 171 flight made every possible effort to protect the passengers onboard and they deserve respect, not unfounded character judgements.

“Pilots are trained professionals who carry the responsibility of hundreds of lives with dedication and dignity.

“The crew of AI 171 made every possible effort — till their very last breath — to protect the passengers on board and minimize harm on the ground. They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments,” ALPA India said in a statement.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday asked the government to reassess possible technical misinterpretation or mechanical faults in Air India’s Boeing 787-8 plane that crashed last month and sought inclusion of subject matter experts in the probe.

Flagging concerns about the AAIB’s preliminary report, the federation said the report failed to sufficiently consider or acknowledge two plausible and previously documented technical scenarios, either of which could have triggered an automated shutdown of both engines.

In the preliminary report, the AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff.

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