The Government of India might look into grounding the entirety of Air India’s Boeing Dreamliner 787 fleet, following the tragic aircraft crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, according to an NDTV report. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding a review meeting on June 13 with top officials of the Gujarat government following his visit to the crash site, a multi-agency probe is expected, led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)—but it would be under ICAO terms.
Unlike usual fatal accidents in civil transport, airplane crash investigations are governed internationally under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)’s Chicago Convention. For the unfortunate tragedy that befell the passengers of the Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft operated by Air India on June 12, these rules apply under a special provision that deals with ‘Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation’.
Following the incident, Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg posted an official statement stating that the aircraft manufacturer would “defer to India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to provide information about Air India Flight 171, in adherence with the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) protocol known as Annex 13.”
What is ICAO Annex 13?
There are 19 technical annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation—more commonly known as the Chicago Convention—that are guidelines that look to standardise international civil aviation. Among them is Annex 13, which, much like the proverbial bad luck associated with the number, deals with ‘Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation’.
Civil aviation is, by sheer number, the safest means of transport. Yet, air navigation has way too many ‘parameters’ that factor in, making it potentially dangerous. According to ICAO, “The international character of civil aviation necessitated the development of law that would make sure that any accident or incident of an aircraft anywhere in the world would be a subject of investigation.”
The international body, in Annex 13, defines an accident “as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft: in which a person is fatally or seriously injured; in which an aircraft sustains damage or structural failure requiring repairs; after which the aircraft in question is classified as being missing.”
What happens when Annex 13 comes into effect?
When any such civil aviation accident happens, the provisions laid down in ICAO Annex 13 come into effect. According to this, states (which means, the country) “shall investigate or delegate the investigation of accidents which have occurred in their territory”.
For the Ahmedabad Air India Flight 171 crash, the investigation into the crash—for now—comes under the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the related agencies India would assign.
ICAO Annex 13 also states that “serious incidents should be investigated by States or by other organisations, such as dedicated accident/incident investigation bodies or aviation service provider organisations.”
When an international civil aviation flight happens to be in an accident—like what happened to the Ahmedabad–London Gatwick flight on June 12—this includes the State (here, India) submitting an accident investigation ‘Preliminary Report’ within 30 days of the event, and a ‘Final Report’ within 12 months of the event, when the investigation is concluded.
Under the terms of Annex 13, India can also ask other States to assist in the investigation or even call for ICAO to support if the country files an official request.
What would the Annex 13 final report tell us?
The final report of the incident, according to the latest edition of the ICAO Annex 13—which came into effect in November 2024—would carry the following factual information:
History of the flight, with flight details and location of the accident
Injuries to persons, including crew and passengers, detailing fatal, serious, and minor injuries
Damage to aircraft
Other damage sustained by objects other than the aircraft
Personnel information concerning each of the flight crew members, including age, validity of licences, ratings, mandatory checks, flying experience and relevant information on duty time
This also includes a brief statement of qualifications and experience of other crew members and pertinent information regarding other personnel, such as air traffic services, maintenance, etc., when relevant.
Aircraft information, including airworthiness and maintenance of the aircraft, performance, and fuel
Meteorological information and the availability of meteorological data to the crew
Details about aids to navigation, including landing aids such as ILS, MLS, NDB, PAR, VOR, visual ground aids, and so on, and their effectiveness at the time
Aeronautical mobile and fixed service communication information and effectiveness
Aerodrome information, including its facilities and condition, or with the take-off or landing area if other than an aerodrome
Flight recorder locations, their condition on recovery and data available from them
Wreckage and impact information, including distribution pattern of the wreckage, detected material failures or component malfunctions.
In the case of the Air India crash, this would also include the details of the location and state of the different pieces of the wreckage to check if a break-up of the aircraft occurred before impact.
Other relevant information sought under Annex 13 includes medical information related to flight crew licences, details of the fire during the crash, and “brief descriptions of search, evacuation and rescue, location of crew and passengers in relation to injuries sustained, and failure of structures such as seats and seat-belt attachments.”
The final report would also look into relevant data of organisations and management “involved in influencing the operation of the aircraft”. This means Air India, the air traffic services—airway, aerodrome and weather service agencies, Adani’s airport body in Ahmedabad, and the regulatory authority of India, the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
