FIP dissatisfied with AAIB probe on AI plane crash; calls for thorough one

Dissatisfied with the preliminary investigation report on the June 12 Air India plane crash released last week, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Wednesday objected to the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation and called for a thorough probe before “assigning blame”.

“At the outset, we would like to register our dissatisfaction with the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation process. Assigning blame before a thorough, transparent, and data-driven investigation is both premature and irresponsible,” the FIP said in a statement.

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The development follows the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report, released last week, which said that both fuel control switches of the AI171 London-bound flight that crashed in Ahmedabad were shifted from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ within seconds of takeoff.

It also mentioned how the two pilots  —  Sumeet Sabharwal and Clive Kunder — conversed about the fuel control switches in the cockpit. One pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” and the other responded, “I did not do so”.

The investigation report generated speculation about what may have led to the crash that claimed many lives.

“The report, as released, lacks comprehensive data and appears to rely selectively on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to suggest pilot error and question the professional competence and integrity of the flight crew. This approach is neither objective nor complete,” the FIP said.

 It also urged people not to lend credence to any conclusions based on the initial findings of the probe.

The AAIB investigation report narrowed its focus on fuel control switches, following which India’s civil aviation regulator, DGCA, also ordered an inspection of their locking mechanism across Boeing 787 and 737 planes.

Later, Air India said it did not find any issues with the fuel switches after inspection.

On June 12, the Ahmedabad-London Air India flight crashed within seconds of take-off from the airport, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers on board.