
Air India crash: Airline industry boss says controversial cockpit video recorders might be good idea in future
All but one of the 230 passengers on Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick were killed in the June 12 crash.
On Saturday, a preliminary crash report said a cockpit voice recording showed one pilot asking another why he cut off fuel supply to the engines.
The report has sparked anger from the Airline Pilots' Association of India, which suggested pilots were being blamed prematurely for the crash.
'Our industry has always been very open in sharing information. We believe that any accident or any major incident that takes place needs to be investigated fully and reported so that everybody can benefit from the experience,' Walsh said.
'And 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.'
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) has voiced concern about recordings being inappropriately used by media and litigants.
In a late 2023 position paper, it said pre-internet or pre-smartphone views of cockpit recordings had become obsolete.
The IFALPA said some mobile phones and computers could survive aircraft accidents, and there was no global standard for protection of cockpit recordings.
And on flight recorders generally, the IFALPA has said no on-board recordings should be released other than for accident or incident investigations.
'They should not become a tool to monitor and/or check the judgment, performance or ability which a particular pilot demonstrates or has demonstrated during the course of a flight.'
The Australian Airline Pilots' Association voiced similar concerns a decade ago, saying financial and human costs of installing airborne image recorders would outweigh benefits.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are continuing to investigate the Flight 171 crash.
The preliminary report said downloaded flight data contained about 49 hours of flight information and data on six flights, including the crashed one.
The take-off weight was within allowable limits and no significant bird activity was seen in or around the flight path.
There has been speculation a pilot on Flight 171 may have had mental health issues.
'On the issue of mental health, this is an issue that's relevant to everybody in the world. It's not just unique to pilots,' Walsh added.
'Our industry is actually doing a lot in that area, but obviously we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure that safety continues to be enhanced.'
John Weekes is a business journalist mostly covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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NZ Herald
17-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Air India crash: Airline industry boss says controversial cockpit video recorders might be good idea in future
'But on a personal basis, I can see that there is a strong argument now for the inclusion of the video in the cockpit to assist in accident investigations.' All but one of the 230 passengers on Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick were killed in the June 12 crash. On Saturday, a preliminary crash report said a cockpit voice recording showed one pilot asking another why he cut off fuel supply to the engines. The report has sparked anger from the Airline Pilots' Association of India, which suggested pilots were being blamed prematurely for the crash. 'Our industry has always been very open in sharing information. We believe that any accident or any major incident that takes place needs to be investigated fully and reported so that everybody can benefit from the experience,' Walsh said. 'And 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.' The International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) has voiced concern about recordings being inappropriately used by media and litigants. In a late 2023 position paper, it said pre-internet or pre-smartphone views of cockpit recordings had become obsolete. The IFALPA said some mobile phones and computers could survive aircraft accidents, and there was no global standard for protection of cockpit recordings. And on flight recorders generally, the IFALPA has said no on-board recordings should be released other than for accident or incident investigations. 'They should not become a tool to monitor and/or check the judgment, performance or ability which a particular pilot demonstrates or has demonstrated during the course of a flight.' The Australian Airline Pilots' Association voiced similar concerns a decade ago, saying financial and human costs of installing airborne image recorders would outweigh benefits. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are continuing to investigate the Flight 171 crash. The preliminary report said downloaded flight data contained about 49 hours of flight information and data on six flights, including the crashed one. The take-off weight was within allowable limits and no significant bird activity was seen in or around the flight path. There has been speculation a pilot on Flight 171 may have had mental health issues. 'On the issue of mental health, this is an issue that's relevant to everybody in the world. It's not just unique to pilots,' Walsh added. 'Our industry is actually doing a lot in that area, but obviously we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure that safety continues to be enhanced.' John Weekes is a business journalist mostly covering aviation and courts. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.


NZ Herald
11-07-2025
- NZ Herald
Air India crash: Pilot asked colleague why he cut off fuel control switches seconds after takeoff
A cockpit voice recording from the doomed Air India crash showed one pilot asking another why he cut off fuel supply to the engines. Air India Flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed on June 12, with all but one of 230 passengers killed.

1News
14-06-2025
- 1News
Sole survivor describes moments before Air India plane crash
The lone passenger who survived the Air India crash that killed 241 people onboard couldn't believe he was alive when he opened his eyes — surrounded by flames, debris and charred bodies. The British national of Indian origin, Viswashkumar Ramesh, was headed to London when the flight crashed minutes after taking off from India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon (local time). It was one of India's worst aviation disasters and the first crash for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner since the widebody, twin-engine planes went into service in 2009, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Currently admitted in a local government hospital, Ramesh narrated his ordeal to India's national broadcaster, saying the aircraft seemed stuck mid air within a few seconds of the take off. He said green and white lights came on, and immediately after that, the aircraft engines accelerated but seemed unable to gain height before it crashed. ADVERTISEMENT People stand around debris at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) (Source: Associated Press) Seated in 11A, Ramesh said his side of the plane fell onto the ground floor of a building, and there was space for him to escape after the door broke open. He unfastened his seat belt and forced himself out of the plane. "When I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive," he said. Ramesh sustained burn injuries on his left hand and walked some distance in shock before he was assisted by the locals and taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Viswashkumar Ramesh's ticket for seat 11A on Air India Flight 171. (Source: Supplied) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash side on Friday, met the lone survivor. "I told Modi what all I had witnessed. He also enquired about my health," Ramesh said from his hospital bed. ADVERTISEMENT Dr Dhaval Gameti, who treated him, said he was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body but seems to be out of danger. New Zealand's Indian community gathers at Auckland's Mahatma Gandhi Centre to pay respects to victims. (Source: 1News) Ramesh, who had his boarding pass with him in the hospital, said he saw several passengers and crew members dying and parts of the plane strewn around the crash site. Ramesh was traveling with his brother and called relatives in Leicester after the crash, his cousin, Ajay Valgi, told the BBC. He has a wife and "little boy" at home. "He only said that he's fine, nothing else," Valgi said, adding that the family is "happy that he's OK, but we're still upset about the other brother". Ramesh's brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told Sky News that his brother called his father moments after the crash to say he had survived. "He video called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane'," he told Sky.