Pilot groups reject claims of human error in Air India crash
The report, issued Saturday by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not.
No more detail about the cockpit dialogue between the pilots was revealed.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said it was "deeply disturbed by speculative narratives... particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide."
"There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage," it said in a statement Sunday, adding, "it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved."
"To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession," it said.
The initial probe finding sparked speculation by several independent aviation experts that deliberate or inadvertant pilot action may have caused the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to crash soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India.
The ICPA was referring to a number of aviation experts suggesting engine fuel control switches can only be moved deliberately and manually.
The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India), another pilots' body with 800 members, also accused the probe agency of "secrecy" surrounding the investigation, saying "suitably qualified personnel" were not involved in it.
"We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots and we strongly object to this line of thought," ALPA India president Sam Thomas said in a statement issued on Saturday.
ALPA – which claims 100,000 members worldwide – also requested to the AAIB that it be included as "observers so as to provide the requisite transparency in the investigations."
The crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.--AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Strong argument for cockpit video recording, says IATA chief in wake of Air India crash report
SINGAPORE: There is a strong argument to be made for video recorders to be installed in aircraft cockpits to aid in accident investigations, said International Air Transport Association chief Willie Walsh in his first comments about an interim report on the Air India crash in June that killed 260 people. 'Based on what little we know now, it's quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording, would significantly assist the investigators,' said Walsh on July 16 in an interview with Singapore media. Pilot unions have long resisted calls for cockpit video recording, citing concerns over privacy and potential misuse. The International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations, for instance, said it was sceptical that confidentiality of such recordings could ever be fully guaranteed, according to a July 16 report by Reuters. Walsh, a former pilot turned airline chief executive, said he can understand the reluctance among flight crew to have video cameras installed in the cockpit. But the head of Iata, a global airline trade body representing some 350 carriers, emphasised the need for air accident investigations to be conducted fully and properly. 'Our industry has always been very open in sharing information,' he added. Walsh also called on governments to publish accident reports in a timely manner in line with international obligations. 'I think we would all benefit from the publication of these reports so that we can assess them and learn from any issues that are relevant to the rest of the industry,' he said. The debate on whether video cameras should be installed in airplane cockpits was reignited after the release of the preliminary report on the ill-fated Air India Flight AI171 on July 11. The report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions about the movement of the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 jet, which were toggled to the cutoff position one after the other seconds after take-off, shutting down both of the plane's engines. The AAIB shared a snippet from the cockpit voice recording, noting that one of the pilots was heard asking the other why he had cut off fuel to the engines. The other pilot responded that he did not do so. The report did not say how or why the fuel switches were moved. The AAIB report also flagged a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration, which recommended the inspection of the locking feature of fuel switches of several Boeing models. This prompted airlines around the world, including national carrier Singapore Airlines and its budget arm Scoot, to carry out precautionary checks in the days after the report's release. Walsh commended the AAIB for the release of its interim report, which he said contained more information about the crash than most people were expecting. He said it was sensible for airlines to check the fuel switches on their Boeing aircraft despite there being no formal recommendation from the US aircraft maker to do so. Switching gears, the Iata chief also addressed questions about the impact of trade tariffs, which he said may lead to airlines being reluctant to take delivery of new aircraft, given the uncertainty over how this will affect the cost of planes 'We'll wait and see... It'll impact all aspects of the aerospace industry and have an impact on most, if not all, airlines as well,' he added. Walsh was in Singapore to attend a series of high-level aviation meetings held in the city-state over the week. He was also taken on a visit to the development site of the upcoming Terminal 5 (T5), which will take Changi Airport's handling capacity to 140 million passengers yearly, up from 90 million today, when it opens in the mid-2030s. Walsh said he was impressed by the design and thinking behind the future mega-terminal, noting the investments being made in innovation and technology, and the planning that has been done to ensure minimal connection times for passengers. 'Some of the work that I see Changi undertaking... ultimately will benefit everybody in the industry in the areas of automation and AI (artificial intelligence),' he added. Walsh said the team at Changi Airport has a 'laser focus' on the cost of the T5 development, revealing that the multi-billion dollar project is 'significantly under budget'. 'Critically, everything they're doing is to ensure that they do it in a cost-effective manner, so that the charges that airlines and ultimately the passenger faces are being controlled,' he said. Rising fees at Changi Airport have been a bugbear among airlines here, and it was cited as a factor behind the demise of low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia. Asked if there is a place for budget carriers at Changi and other high-cost airports, Walsh said he does not agree that the low-cost airline model is dead, but there are certain airports where it may not make sense. He cited London's Heathrow Airport as one example, noting the cost of operations and lack of access to take-off and landing slots there. Walsh said the fact that some airlines are categorised as budget or low-cost does not automatically ensure their financial success. 'We are a very competitive industry,' he added. - The Straits Times/ANN
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Air India crash sparks cockpit camera debate for flight safety
SEATTLE: The deadly Air India crash last month has renewed a decades-old debate in the aviation industry over installing video cameras monitoring airline pilot actions to complement the cockpit voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. One of the industry's most influential voices, International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh, a former airline pilot, said on Wednesday in Singapore there was a strong argument for video cameras to be installed in airliner cockpits to monitor pilot actions to complement voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation. The crash in Ahmedabad, India, killed 241 of the 242 people aboard, as well as 19 people on the ground. As of now, 'based on what little we know now, it's quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording would significantly assist the investigators in conducting that investigation on the issue of mental health,' Walsh said. Advocates for cockpit video cameras say the footage could fill in gaps left by the audio and data recorders, while opponents say concerns about privacy and misuse outweigh what they argue are marginal benefits for investigations. Video footage was 'invaluable' to Australian crash investigators determining what led to Robinson R66 helicopter breaking up in mid-air in 2023, killing the pilot, the only person aboard, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report, which was released 18 days after the Air India crash. The video showed 'the pilot was occupied with non-flying related tasks for much of this time, specifically, mobile phone use and the consumption of food and beverages,' the report said. The ATSB commended Robinson Helicopters for providing factory-installed cameras and said it encouraged other manufacturers and owners to consider the ongoing safety benefits of similar devices. In 2000, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require commercial airliners be equipped with cockpit image recorders. Hall's recommendation came in the wake of 1999's Egyptair Flight 990 crash, when the first officer intentionally crashed the Boeing 767, according to the NTSB, killing all 217 people on board. 'In the balance between privacy and safety, the scale tips toward safety, unequivocally,' air safety expert and former commercial airline pilot John Nance said. 'Protecting the flying public is a sacred obligation.' Another aviation safety expert, Anthony Brickhouse, said that as an accident investigator, he is in favor of cockpit video, but acknowledged that commercial pilots have real concerns. Video on Air India flight 171 'would have answered lots of questions,' he said. Air India declined to comment. India's AAIB, which is expected to release a final report within a year of the crash under international rules, did not reply to request for comment. PILOT OBJECTIONS U.S. pilots' unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Allied Pilots Association (APA) say the voice and data recorders already provide enough information to determine the cause of a crash and that the cameras would be an invasion of privacy and could be misused. Calls for cockpit cameras are an understandable reaction to 'the stress of not knowing what happened immediately after an accident,' said APA spokesperson Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot. 'I can understand the initial reaction of the more information, the better,' but investigators already have enough data to adequately determine an accident's cause, leaving no need for cameras, he said. To make flying safer, current safety systems should be enhanced to record higher-quality data, rather than adding video cameras, an ALPA spokeperson said. There are also concerns the footage could be used by airlines for disciplinary actions or that video could be leaked to the public after a crash, said John Cox, an aviation safety expert, retired airline pilot and former ALPA executive air safety chairman. A pilot's death being broadcast on 'the 6 o'clock news is not something that the pilot's family should ever have to go through,' he said. If confidentiality can be assured around the world, 'I can see an argument' for installing cameras, Cox said. Cockpit voice recordings are typically kept confidential by investigators in favor of partial or full transcripts being released in final reports. Despite that, International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations said it was skeptical that confidentiality could ever be assured for cockpit videos. 'Given the high demand for sensational pictures, IFALPA has absolutely no doubt that the protection of (airborne image recorder) data, which can include identifiable images of flight crewmembers, would not be ensured either,' the organization said in a statement. Boeing declined to disclose whether customers are able to order cockpit video recorders, while Airbus did not reply to request for comment. - Reuters
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Air India crash rekindles debate over cockpit video recorders
THE deadly Air India crash last month has renewed a decades-old debate in the aviation industry over installing video cameras monitoring airline pilot actions to complement the cockpit voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. One of the industry's most influential voices, International Air Transport Association (IATA) head Willie Walsh, a former airline pilot, said on Wednesday in Singapore there was a strong argument for video cameras to be installed in airliner cockpits to monitor pilot actions to complement voice and flight data recorders already used by accident investigators. Aviation experts have said a preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) raised questions over whether one of the pilots of Air India flight 171 cut off fuel to the Boeing 787's engines seconds after takeoff, leading to an irrecoverable situation. The crash in Ahmedabad, India, killed 241 of the 242 people aboard, as well as 19 people on the ground. As of now, "based on what little we know now, it's quite possible that a video recording, in addition to the voice recording would significantly assist the investigators in conducting that investigation on the issue of mental health," Walsh said. Advocates for cockpit video cameras say the footage could fill in gaps left by the audio and data recorders, while opponents say concerns about privacy and misuse outweigh what they argue are marginal benefits for investigations. Video footage was "invaluable" to Australian crash investigators determining what led to Robinson R66 helicopter breaking up in mid-air in 2023, killing the pilot, the only person aboard, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report, which was released 18 days after the Air India crash. The video showed "the pilot was occupied with non-flying related tasks for much of this time, specifically, mobile phone use and the consumption of food and beverages," the report said. The ATSB commended Robinson Helicopters for providing factory-installed cameras and said it encouraged other manufacturers and owners to consider the ongoing safety benefits of similar devices. In 2000, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Jim Hall urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require commercial airliners be equipped with cockpit image recorders. Hall's recommendation came in the wake of 1999's Egyptair Flight 990 crash, when the first officer intentionally crashed the Boeing 767, according to the NTSB, killing all 217 people on board. "In the balance between privacy and safety, the scale tips toward safety, unequivocally," air safety expert and former commercial airline pilot John Nance said. "Protecting the flying public is a sacred obligation." Another aviation safety expert, Anthony Brickhouse, said that as an accident investigator, he is in favor of cockpit video, but acknowledged that commercial pilots have real concerns. Video on Air India flight 171 "would have answered lots of questions," he said. India's AAIB, which is expected to release a final report within a year of the crash under international rules, did not reply to request for comment. US pilots' unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and Allied Pilots Association (APA) say the voice and data recorders already provide enough information to determine the cause of a crash and that the cameras would be an invasion of privacy and could be misused. Calls for cockpit cameras are an understandable reaction to "the stress of not knowing what happened immediately after an accident," said APA spokesperson Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines pilot. "I can understand the initial reaction of the more information, the better," but investigators already have enough data to adequately determine an accident's cause, leaving no need for cameras, he said. To make flying safer, current safety systems should be enhanced to record higher-quality data, rather than adding video cameras, an ALPA spokeperson said. There are also concerns the footage could be used by airlines for disciplinary actions or that video could be leaked to the public after a crash, said John Cox, an aviation safety expert, retired airline pilot and former ALPA executive air safety chairman. A pilot's death being broadcast on "the 6 o'clock news is not something that the pilot's family should ever have to go through," he said. If confidentiality can be assured around the world, "I can see an argument" for installing cameras, Cox said. Cockpit voice recordings are typically kept confidential by investigators in favour of partial or full transcripts being released in final reports. Despite that, International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations said it was skeptical that confidentiality could ever be assured for cockpit videos. "Given the high demand for sensational pictures, IFALPA has absolutely no doubt that the protection of (airborne image recorder) data, which can include identifiable images of flight crew members, would not be ensured either," the organisation said in a statement.
