New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said the board will continue to support the AAIB's investigation into the Air India plane crash, and that reports about the incident are premature and speculative.

On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed into a building soon after takeoff, killing 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. Out of the 242 people onboard, one passenger survived.

On July 12, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the fatal crash.

"Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time," Homendy said in a statement posted on X.

The comments come days after AAIB said it is too early to draw any "definite conclusions" on what led to the crash, as the probe is still on, and urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.

Homendy also said that NTSB fully supports AAIB's public appeal and will continue to support its ongoing investigation.

"All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," she said in the post on Saturday.

There are reports suggesting that pilot error led to the crash of the Air India plane -- VT-ANB -- operating the flight AI 171. PTI RAM BAL BAL

Accident investigation integrity: independent probe must be protected as premature reports risk undermining factual inquiry. Support for continuing, independent accident inquiry is emphasized, with media narratives characterising likely causes called premature and investigatory questions directed to the lead investigative agency. The lead investigator issued a Preliminary Report but warned that definitive causal conclusions cannot yet be drawn, urged refraining from speculative attributions of fault, and received confirmed operational support from an international safety body.