Actor-Pilot Gul Panag: "My Gut Says Air India Crash Will Be Blamed On Pilot Error, But..."

NDTV

3 days ago

On June 12, 2025, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, carrying 242 passengers and crew members, crashed shortly after take-off.
There were 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots on the flight that was headed to London. One person -- the passenger of seat No. 11A -- survived the crash.
Actor Gul Panag, who received her Private Pilot's License in 2016, in an interview with Shiv Aroor, Managing Editor, NDTV, spoke about the ill-fated Air India crash and why the pilots could eventually be blamed for the tragedy.
Gul Panag, known for films such as Dor and Manorama Six Feet Under as well as web series Paatal Lok and The Family Man, said as a hobby pilot, she flies every other month.
"I'm just rated to fly two-three small, little aircraft. But few things are sacrosanct across the aircraft you fly whether you fly the fancy B-2 Bomber, it's a beautiful aircraft, or you fly a 15217 Cessna.
"There are certain things that go on in a pilot's mind when you're taking off. Engine failure and take-off are memory items and how to address that is also something that is drilled into your head from the time you go to flying school," the actor told NDTV.
Engine failure is a verbal callout that a pilot practises, even when they are alone in the aircraft, if they have been trained well, she said.
"Whether engines failed or they didn't fail, all of that will be revealed once the final report is out. Two critical things stand out - one, he (the pilot) made a mayday call, which means he assessed in the short span of time that he really felt the aircraft sinking, he troubleshot whatever he could in that short span of time, because you're assuming it is engine failure.
"It demonstrates complete and total coherence. He hadn't given into panic. All of the people I'm in touch with by virtue of belonging to the aviation ecosystem, that's a very critical thing," said Gul Panag, whose husband Rishi Attari is also a pilot.
The actor, however, said she fears the blame of the Air India crash would be put on the pilots.
"The sad thing is, till the more is revealed, I suspect, and tragically so... The gut instinct says that it will eventually come down to or it will be made to look like pilot error and that's what every pilot fears because they are not there to defend themselves. I hope it's not that. Every single incident that we have had in recent times is unfortunately put down as that. In the case of the 737 Max, other facts revealed themselves later," she said.
"But the initial report just puts it out like, 'This could have been handled better', even if there were failures and could be attributed to other things, there will be a pilot error aspect as a contributing factor. Having said that, given how advanced the machines are today, it is the only variable because the machine flies itself... If you step back and look back, the human element is the only variable in the bigger picture. So, we'll have to wait till the results come out," she added.