Air India crash preliminary report: A transparent probe is the least that is owed to the dead and their families
While the full and final report will be out in a year's time, what the AAIB report says — and what it doesn't say — has raised concerns. For instance, why does it include only a single paraphrased exchange between the pilots regarding fuel cut-off, and not the full CVR audio and transcript? Notably, it does not say that either pilot moved the fuel control switches during take-off; it merely notes that the switches 'transitioned from Run to Cutoff position'. Curiously, there has been no press briefing on the report during which questions could be addressed. Not surprisingly, the Airline Pilots' Association of India has criticised the ambiguity, calling it a premature insinuation of pilot error. The report mentions a 2018 Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which flagged that some Boeing 737s' fuel control switches had been installed with the locking feature disengaged — the 787 version has similar switches. As the SAIB was just an advisory, Air India did not carry out any inspections. In a welcome move, the DGCA has now asked airlines to inspect fuel switch locking systems in Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft. The report's concluding section says that it does not recommend any action on Boeing or General Electric. Meanwhile, in what appears to amount to a clean chit for both companies, the FAA has declared that the preliminary report 'found no urgent safety concerns' relating to either the engines or the aircraft systems of the 787-8. In this context, the case of the Boeing 737 MAX injects a necessary note of caution. Following the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 — both linked to similar technical faults — the FAA had initially affirmed the aircraft's airworthiness, only to ground the entire 737 MAX fleet between March 2019 and December 2020.
It would be unwise to draw definitive conclusions from the preliminary report, which acknowledges in the foreword that the findings are provisional and subject to revision. Until the final report is out, all the agencies involved must take every possible measure to ensure a fair, transparent, and fact-based inquiry. That is the very least that is owed to the dead and their families — and the safety of passengers every day.
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The Print
14 minutes ago
- The Print
Report leak, global headlines pinned Air India crash on dead pilots. But nothing adds up
My only qualification for writing on this subject is that I put my life on the line about twice every week. That's how many flights I take, most of them on Air India. So if air travel — especially on Boeing aircraft or with Air India — is this susceptible to random tragedy, then I have a personal stake in knowing what actually happened. I am, by now means, an aviation expert. But then, neither are 95 per cent of the people who have commented on the crash, assigned blame, claimed to know what really happened, or trashed Air India. Because this column is about the tragic Air India crash at Ahmedabad airport, I want to begin with a few qualifications before we go any further. But here's the problem: even after the passage of several days and the publication of an inquiry report into the crash, I am more confused than ever. Also read: Air India crash report didn't deserve Modi govt's secrecy culture Here's what worries me: The interim inquiry report tells us that the crash was caused by a disruption in fuel supply to the aircraft's engines. It says that the switches controlling the fuel flow were turned off and then back on. But by the time the pilots tried to restore fuel, it was too late. The aircraft crashed. According to the report, the pilots noticed the loss of fuel. It quotes a snatch of cockpit conversation where one pilot asks the other if he had cut off the supply. The reply: no, he had not. Even before this report was released to the Indian public, on whose behalf and at whose expense the inquiry was conducted, it was leaked, at least in part, to the foreign media. Who leaked it? Why? Has there been any investigation into the leak? We have no answers. Nor does it look like we will get any. What does this failure tell us about India's aviation authorities, or about the integrity of the process? You can draw your own conclusions. The people the report was leaked to clearly shared it with Western media outlets along with their own interpretation. That interpretation, to put it crudely, was: 'these stupid Indian pilots screwed up by shutting off the fuel. There was nothing wrong with the plane. It was the pilots who erred.' With some notable exceptions — who were more circumspect — the rest of the Western media ran wild with the 'stupid Indians crashed the plane' narrative for three full days. The report was rumoured to be ready on a Monday. By Tuesday, the first 'pilots did it' stories appeared in the Western media. After that narrative had run unchecked across the global press, the Indian government finally released the report — quietly, in the dead of night, under the cover of darkness. No press conference. No official explanation. Nothing. In fact, the report stated that it had no recommendations for the aircraft or engine manufacturers. This was widely, and not unreasonably, interpreted to mean the plane and its engines had played no role in the crash. So the general conclusion, led by the Western media, which had access to the leaked report, was that the crash was caused by pilot error. And, to our eternal shame, much of Indian media, including news channels and social media, parroted this line. But here's the thing: the report doesn't explicitly blame the pilots. And you could argue that the quoted cockpit exchange actually exonerates them: they were surprised by the sudden fuel loss and denied having had anything to do with it. Obviously, it is wrong to blame pilots who had hours of experience and impeccable records because they are not alive to defend themselves. But 'it was the pilots' theory also severely damages the reputation of Air India. Would international travellers want to fly with an airline perceived to employ incompetent pilots? Pilot associations in India and abroad have justifiably objected to how the report was spun. But not enough have raised the more serious question: shouldn't action be taken against those who leaked the report to vested interests, and brought Indian aviation, its pilots, and Air India into such disrepute? Isn't that a firing offence? From a passenger's perspective, we still don't know what to make of it all. Could the pilots have accidentally switched the fuel off and on? It seems more and more unlikely. This isn't just a matter of flipping a switch; it involves multiple steps. We are being asked to believe that the pilots shut off both fuel switches off, turned them back on, and then tried to stabilise the aircraft — all within the 30 seconds or so the aircraft was airborne. I suppose it's possible. But it certainly doesn't sound likely. There is another theory now floating around on social media: that the pilots did it on purpose. I won't dignify that with much comment, except to say there is nothing in either man's record to suggest he would commit mass murder. And even if one of them was suicidal — which, again, there is no evidence for — why do it this way? There are simpler, less catastrophic ways to die. Also read: Air India crash should push India to create independent board for transport safety oversight So what did happen? The frightening truth is: we have no idea. It's possible that a mechanical failure caused the fuel valve to shut or that the switch itself was defective. There have been reports of similar issues on other aircraft. But the report dismisses these possibilities and gives a clean chit to the aircraft and its systems. I don't want to do what the Western media did and scapegoat someone without proof. But ever since the crash, questions have been raised about Boeing. In recent years, Boeing's reputation has been trashed by accusations that it cut corners to save money and increase profits. The company is still reeling from the 737 MAX scandal, and its senior executives have been grilled and humiliated by US Congressional committees. If even a part of the crash were linked to Boeing's failures, it would set the company into a tailspin from which it might never recover. So did Boeing leak the report? Did it push the 'pilot error' narrative? It has the resources to influence media coverage and enough money to buy off Indian officials. But I am not going to play that game. Just as it is wrong to blame pilots without proper evidence, it's equally wrong to accuse Boeing without conclusive proof. Which leaves us passengers right where we started. A plane crashed under mysterious circumstances. An interim report was selectively leaked and twisted into an effort to crucify two dead pilots. And we are left asking: is it any safer to fly now? Can we be sure this won't happen again? We still have no answers. Vir Sanghvi is a print and television journalist, and talk show host. He tweets @virsanghvi. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
New Indian Express
14 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Pilot Association condemns selective approach of Air India probe report, asks public not to lend it credence
New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Wednesday expressed serious concern over the preliminary findings as well as the public discourse over the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. Its president Captain C S Randhawa, expressed the federation's dissatisfaction over the aspect that pilots were excluded from the investigation process. He alleged, '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.' He appealed to the federation members and the general public not to lend credence to such premature conclusions. 'Assigning blame before a thorough, transparent, and data-driven investigation is both premature and irresponsible,' he said.
Mint
17 hours ago
- Mint
Air India crash probe report ‘neither objective nor complete,' says Federation of Indian Pilots
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Wednesday expressed "serious concerns" over the preliminary probe report on the Air India plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad. "At the outset, we would like to register our dissatisfaction with the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation process. We also firmly object to the way in which the preliminary report has been interpreted and presented publicly," FIP wrote. The government has emphasised that the 15-page document is only a preliminary report, as the investigation is still ongoing. However, specific details mentioned in the report have triggered strong reactions from the pilot community. One particular exchange noted in the report shows one pilot questioning the other about a possible fuel cut-off, to which the second pilot reportedly denied initiating it. Investigators are now examining whether the fuel control switch was indeed moved from RUN to CUTOFF and back within seconds of takeoff — and if so, why. "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. We therefore urge our members and the general public not to lend credence to such premature conclusions," the pilots' body added. Earlier, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) also slammed the investigation, alleging that it was "being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots." "Assigning blame before a thorough, transparent, and data-driven investigation is both premature and irresponsible. Such speculative commentary undermines the professionalism of highly trained crew members and causes undue distress to their families and colleagues." It called upon media outlets, influencers, and institutions to 'refrain from disseminating partial narratives or making unfounded assumptions. Aviation safety demands a steadfast commitment to facts, integrity, and due process.' India's aviation regulator, the DGCA, on Monday instructed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, PTI reported. Over 150 Boeing 737s and 787s are currently operated by Indian carriers. Airlines such as Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and IndiGo have these aircraft types in their fleets.
