
A former Pilot on Air India crash report: Foreign media are misleading the public. Wait for the final report
The people of India have a right to know the truth about what happened to Air India Flight 171. The anxiety and confusion among the public following the release of the preliminary report a few days ago are, therefore, understandable. However, it is equally important to remember that the Air India crash report is exactly what it claims to be: Preliminary. Its primary purpose is to establish what happened. The why and how will be addressed in the final report, which is typically released about a year after the incident. While the public's demand for answers is entirely justified, patience remains essential.
There is a rush in certain quarters to blame the pilots. Why should it come as a surprise that blame is already being directed at them? Within just two days of the crash, self-proclaimed aviation 'experts' flooded YouTube — some even donning captain's uniforms — offering detailed theories about the crash without any proximity to the site or access to verifiable information. Unsurprisingly, many of these theories centred on pilot error.
Yes, pilots — like doctors, engineers, or any other professional — are human beings and capable of mistakes. In this case, however, foreign media have jumped the gun. Some agencies have highlighted a section of the report that refers to an exchange between the pilots about the 'cut-off'. But this is a normal inquiry by a pilot in a situation where, during take-off, power fails to build, and there is insufficient thrust. Moreover, all pilots are trained that, in the event of a total engine failure, the correct procedure involves switching the engine off and attempting a restart. According to the report, the pilots attempted exactly that and almost succeeded. There was a relight on one engine. However, by that time, the aircraft was at too low an altitude, which led to it crashing into buildings. It was already too late.
The real question is: Why did both engines fail? The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) should provide those answers. It is entirely possible for engines to fail without pilot intervention. Modern aircraft rely on computers to calculate fuel flow and engine performance. It is not impossible for the system to malfunction — perhaps due to incorrect fuel ratio calculations — leading to engine failure. These systems are built with safeguards, but like any complex software, they are not infallible. Remember the case of ANA Flight NH985 from Tokyo Haneda to Osaka Itami, which suffered dual engine failure upon landing? Western investigative agencies often default to blaming the pilots, and similar stories are likely to emerge in the coming weeks.
There is no doubt that the preliminary Air India crash report could have offered more clarity; for instance, it would have been helpful if the details from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) had been made public. I have worked extensively with CVRs and DFDRs, and I know that while data retrieval is one task, proper interpretation is quite another. It takes a team of trained specialists to extract meaning: What time thrust was applied, whether the engine spooled up, how much fuel was injected — every detail can be examined. Interpretation, however, takes time. This is why we must be patient and allow the final Air India crash report to tell the full story. In the meantime, we must continue to ask the right questions.
Having worked with both Boeing and Airbus, including with their production test pilots, I can say with confidence that these professionals are deeply committed to safety. That said, no system is perfect. There is always scope for improvement — and yes, for error. But that's no reason to mislead the public. This is precisely why pilot federations are coming out strongly in defence of the crew, not simply out of solidarity, but because the facts are being selectively interpreted to sensationalise and unfairly suggest pilot error. One such federation is reportedly considering legal action against The Wall Street Journal for its coverage of the crash.
When I transitioned from the Air Force to civil aviation, I was shocked to discover that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had no aviators on its rolls. There may well be brilliant bureaucrats at the helm, but is it too much to ask for a single technical aviation expert? Similarly, there should be certified Boeing 787 pilots on the investigating team. This is one of the key things the Indian aviation ecosystem must urgently address — ensuring that technical expertise is not sidelined.
The writer is the founder of the Federation of Indian Pilots and a former Air Force and Air India pilot
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


India Today
13 hours ago
- India Today
Why small-town students are no longer putting all their eggs in one exam basket
CUET, UPSC, NEET, or JEE? How aspirations are changing in small-town IndiaIn small-town India, ambition hasn't dimmed-it's just getting more thoughtful. For years, becoming an IAS officer, doctor, or engineer was the ultimate dream, often passed down like a family legacy. That hasn't changed much. What has changed is how students approach that dream. There's more self-awareness now. Students get caught up in questions like, "What is the endgame?" In the midst of it all, CUET has emerged as a real contender-not a compromise, but a strategic decision. It enables many students to pursue great higher education without experiencing the burnout that is common with high-pressure in many ways, has levelled the playing field. For students who don't come from expensive coaching ecosystems, it feels accessible. A student from Jabalpur now sees a real shot at landing in DU, BHU, or JNU as someone from Delhi or Mumbai. It doesn't carry the same fear factor as JEE or NEET, and that alone has made a difference. But this isn't about replacing those exams-it's about widening the horizon. For the first time, many students feel like the system has carved out a path they can actually walk on. While new options are emerging, traditional goals such as UPSC remain relevant. Civil services still have a strong appeal. The idea of effecting change, gaining respect, and having a solid profession remains popular. But students today are more strategic. Many are working, pursuing parallel degrees, and preparing for the UPSC at the same time. The dream is still alive, but it is being pursued with clarity and backup plans, which is a significant departure from the all-or-nothing mindset that previously defined these too, continues to be one of the most respected and deeply aspired-to careers in small-town continues to be a significant milestone for thousands of students, particularly girls, pursuing medical careers. The desire to wear that white coat remains strong. However, the consciousness has shifted. Families are increasingly aware of the budgetary realities, limited government seats and the long journey ahead. But, rather than retreating, the objective remains the same; the routes are more too, hasn't lost its magnetism. The keen desire for engineering, especially through IITs, NITs, or IIITs, remains a top-tier aspiration. But the way students approach it has evolved. Some are combining JEE prep with skills like coding, design, or entrepreneurship. The focus is no longer just on "cracking" an exam, and that's the larger story across the this shift in mindset, Tier-2 coaching hubs are booming like never before. Tier 2 and 3 cities have become ecosystems. Edtech has blurred the lines; students are combining offline coaching with online test series, YouTube lectures, and Telegram doubt groups. Whether it's JEE, NEET, CUET, or UPSC, there's a digital supplement for everything. In between the chaos, what's emerging is a hybrid learning culture; one that's more accessible, more personalised, and better aligned with each student's pace and there is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution, which may be the most significant shift of all. Whether it's CUET, NEET, JEE, or UPSC, each exam is significant in small-town India. The pressure has not subsided, but the options have expanded. And somewhere between ambition and awareness, a new kind of aspiration is quietly taking root: less about chasing status and more about finding what truly fits.- EndsMust Watch


Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Indian Express
Is there an Indian psychoanalysis? Understanding Sudhir Kakar's cultural turn
Born on this day in 1938, Sudhir Kakar, the 'father of Indian psychoanalysis', is celebrated for bringing a distinct 'Indianness' to the field. Psychoanalysis is a theory of mind and a clinical practice developed by Sigmund Freud. It primarily focuses on the relationship between 'conscious' thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and the 'unconscious' mind. Notably, Freud and others after him emphasised upon the discipline's universality. By interpreting the Indian psyche through myths and societal norms, Kakar infused psychoanalysis with an Indian cultural richness, and redefined how the discipline could engage with non-Western minds. His ideas continue to reshape how India thinks about the mind, culture, and identity today. Kakar passed away last year. Kakar believed that Freud's theories, while revolutionary, were embedded in European culture, meaning they often failed to resonate with Indian psychological realities. He argued that Indian culture views reality differently from the post-Enlightenment West. 'In the traditional Indian view, which still exerts a powerful influence on how even most modern Indians view marriage and family, parent-sons and filial bonds among the sons living in an extended family override the importance of the couple as the foundation of the family,' he said in an address to the Indian Psychoanalytic Society in 2022. But rather than rejecting psychoanalysis, Kakar expanded it by interpreting the unconscious through the lens of Indian myths, familial structures, and spiritual traditions. He introduced concepts such as the 'Ganesha Complex' as an Indian-alternative to Freud's influential Oedipus Complex, which borrowed from Greek mythology to explain a son's sexual attitude to his mother and hostility towards the father. 'My main argument is that the ''hegemonic narrative'' of Hindu culture as far as male development is concerned is neither that of Freud's Oedipus nor that of Christianity's Adam,' he wrote in 'Hindu Myth and Psychoanalytic Concepts: The Ganesha Complex' published in Asian Culture and Psychotherapy: Implications for East and West (2005). Kakar used the myth of Skanda (also known as Kartikeya) and Ganesha to explain India's culturally sanctioned dependence on the maternal figure. Unlike Skanda, Ganesha in the myth chooses maternal closeness over heroic independence. 'By remaining an infant… Ganesha will never know the pangs of separation from the mother… That Ganesha's lot is considered superior to Skanda's is perhaps an indication of the Indian man's cultural preference in the dilemma of separation-individuation,' Kakar wrote. Kakar drew heavily from Indian epics, folklore, and even popular cinema to reveal how collective fantasies shape the unconscious. 'The self,' he said 'is a system of reverberating representational worlds — representations of culture, primary family relationships and bodily life.' While Kakar's work itself was rooted in Hindu culture, he envisioned an Indian psychoanalysis that would engage critically with Western theories. 'The wish is that a future generation of Indian analysts realises that a critical stance is now needed after a long, much too long phase of idealisation of Western analytic gurus,' he said. Psychoanalysts in India today draw deeply from Kakar's reimagining of psychoanalysis, integrating his culturally rooted insights into clinical practice, specifically acknowledging the imprint of collective histories, myths, and identities on the unconscious. As Amrita Narayanan, a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, wrote in 'An Elastic Indianness: In Memory of Sudhir Kakar' (2024), Kakar believed that the Indian 'ego', formed through the blurring of self and other, was fundamentally different than the Western, autonomous conception. 'The 'I am' and 'we are' are birthed simultaneously for Indians,' she wrote, suggesting that for many, social expectations are internalised as personal desires. This deep enmeshment of self and community has major implications for how therapists understand emotional conflict, sexuality, and even violence. 'Much like Freud, Kakar's quest for clues in folk tales, fables, and epics holds the reimagination of Indianness, in which the self yearns for spirituality,' said Pulkit Sharma, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. For many clinicians, Kakar's recognition of India's spiritual imagination, through epics, rituals, and mythology, reshaped what counts as healing. Myths of Ganesha and Ram, used by Kakar to illustrate the nurturing and sacrificial Indian son, challenged Western tropes like Oedipus and offered a new vocabulary for male development. Similarly, fantasies of femininity, coded as nurturing, maternal, and emotionally sensitive, are central rather than deviant. 'In the clinical room, sensitivity is given to caste, religion, gender, family, generational myths, and traditions that shape the subjectivity of the client. All of it informs the therapist about indigenous narratives and themes that help in learning the unconscious script. This accessibility serves as a guide to meaningful therapeutic growth,' Sharma said. 'The psychotherapist must know that it's not merely a defence, but a well-meaning psychological structure that fosters healing. The psychopathology is not intrapsychic but extrapsychic in Kakar's works. It further carries the ruptures of colonialism, modernity, and globalisation,' he added.


NDTV
19 hours ago
- NDTV
No Fault With Boeing Fuel Control Unit: US Aviation Body On Air India Crash
Oshkosh, Wisconsin: The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday the fatal crash last month of an Air India Boeing 787 jet does not appear to have been caused by a mechanical issue or inadvertent movement of the fuel control unit or switches. "We can say with a high level of confidence is it doesn't appear to be a mechanical issue with the Boeing fuel control unit," Bryan Bedford, the FAA's administrator, told reporters on the sidelines of an air show in Wisconsin. He said FAA employees had taken the units out, tested them and had inspectors get on aircraft and review them. "We feel very comfortable that this isn't an issue with inadvertent manipulation of fuel control," he said. The probe into the Air India crash, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground, is focused on the fuel control switches of the Boeing 787 jetliner. Boeing and Air India did not immediately comment. The switches control fuel flow to aircraft engines, allowing pilots to start or shut them down on the ground, or manually intervene during in-flight engine failures. Air India said on Tuesday it has completed precautionary inspections of the fuel control switch locking mechanism on all 787 and 737 aircraft, with no issues detected. A preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau earlier this month found the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from "run" to "cutoff" shortly after takeoff, causing the engines to lose power. Reuters reported last week, citing a source, that the cockpit recording on the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick suggested the captain cut fuel to the engines. Earlier this month, the FAA and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes were safe.