Latest news with #CSRandhawa
Mint
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Air India flight 171 crash: Indian pilots' body slams US media report on cockpit voice recording, ‘will take action'
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President, CS Randhawa, has dismissed a US media report on the cockpit voice recordings from the Air India crash investigation, citing unnamed US officials privy to the early assessment of the American investigation into the Air India plane crash, saying the preliminary report doesn't indicate any blame on the pilot. Captain Randhawa dismissed the claims as baseless and vowed to take action against the publication, saying the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report on the Air India plane crash makes no mention of the pilots turning off the switches controlling fuel flow to the engines. '...Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot's mistake. I condemn the article. They said it was the pilot's mistake. They [the publication] have not read the report properly, and we will take action against them through FIP,' Captain CS Randhawa told ANI. "Neither the report nor the Civil Aviation Minister has said that it was pilot must relate this to the incident of ANA NH985, which occurred on January 17, 2019. At the time of landing, when the pilot selected thrust reversers, both engines shut down without the pilot moving the fuel control switch. I am quite clear that this is a repetition of the TCMA (Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation) malfunction, and this needs a thorough investigation of the TCMA. Boeing has not taken any action yet and has not even tried to issue a directive that all these aircraft should be checked for TCMA functions. Secondly, there is not a single pilot in the investigation committee," he said. "….I am against this American media. They are deliberately giving their own opinion, their own views from this report, while there is nothing like this in the report. So I very strongly condemn this report of the Wall Street Journal and we will take action on it," he added. Meanwhile, aviation expert Sanjay Lazar has also expressed concern over the leak of investigation details in the United States, pointing out that India's official preliminary report only contains a short pilot denial and lacks the full cockpit voice recorder transcript. A preliminary report on Air India flight 171 crash released last week by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the June 12 crash and raised fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches, the report said. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
NDTV
3 hours ago
- General
- NDTV
"Nowhere Mentioned...": Pilots' Body Slams WSJ Article On Air India Crash
Mumbai: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) president CS Randhawa on Thursday condemned a media report that claimed that the captain of the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad last month deliberately cut off fuel to the engines. Captain Randhawa dismissed the claims as baseless and vowed to take action against the publication. Captain CS Randhawa emphasised that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report makes no mention of the pilots turning off the switches controlling fuel flow to the engines. "...Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot's mistake. I condemn the article. They said it was the pilot's mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action against them through FIP," Captain CS Randhawa told ANI. He further urged people not to comment on the AAIB's preliminary report, as this may create fear among commuters about air travel. "We had issued a press statement yesterday that no channel, commentator or president of any agency should give such an opinion that has no basis. The detailed report will take time; till then, people are giving their own opinions without any basis, which is not right," Captain Randhawa added. "Neither the report nor the Civil Aviation Minister has said that it was pilot must relate this to the incident of ANA NH985, which occurred on January 17, 2019. At the time of landing, when the pilot selected thrust reversers, both engines shut down without the pilot moving the fuel control switch. I am quite clear that this is a repetition of the TCMA (Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation) malfunction, and this needs a thorough investigation of the TCMA. Boeing has not taken any action yet and has not even tried to issue a directive that all these aircraft should be checked for TCMA functions. Secondly, there is not a single pilot in the investigation committee," he said. Captain Randhawa said that his federation is requesting the Civil Aviation Minister to reconstitute the board and include type-rated experts in this investigation board, who are pilots, engineers and air safety experts. The FIP President said that Indian Pilots are among the best in the world. "Indian pilots are among the best in the world. I did not give my opinion to the Wall Street Journal, which had approached me as well, because I am against this American media. They are deliberately giving their own opinion, their own views from this report, while there is nothing like this in the report. So I very strongly condemn this report of the Wall Street Journal and we will take action on it," he added. Earlier on Wednesday, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) expressed "serious" concern regarding the preliminary findings and public discourse surrounding the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. FIP, in an official statement, expressed their dissatisfaction with the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation process, objecting to the way in which the preliminary report has been interpreted and presented publicly. "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 said in an official statement. This statement followed a Reuters report, which cited the Wall Street Journal, claiming that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicated that the captain turned off the switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's engines. As per Reuters, The Wall Street Journal report cited people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the crash, which killed 260 people. The recording suggested that the first officer, who was flying the Boeing aircraft, opened the new tab 787 Dreamliner, and asked the other captain, who was more experienced, why he moved the switches to the "cutoff" position after it climbed off the runway, the report said. The first officer expressed surprise and then panicked, while the captain seemed to remain calm, Reuters reported, citing WSJ. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Boeing and Air India have not yet responded to the report. The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had a total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. A preliminary report released last week by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before the June 12 crash and raised fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches, the report said. The AI 171 crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, killed 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Indian pilot grouping FIP threatens legal action against Wall Street Journal for ‘maligning' AI 171 pilots
Pilot grouping Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) is considering legal action against The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over the US-based publication's recent reports related to the crash of Air India flight AI 171 on June 12. The FIP's President CS Randhawa criticised the WSJ's recent report, adding that the publication was insinuating pilot action even though the preliminary investigation report into the crash did not say that the one of the pilots had cut fuel to the engines. 'We strongly object to targetting of the pilots despite the preliminary report not mentioning pilot error or action. They are maligning the pilots. We are contemplating legal action and will be consulting our lawyers,' Randhawa told The Indian Express. The FIP has around 5,500 pilots as members. In its latest report on the AI 171 crash investigation, WSJ said that details from the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 aircraft's cockpit voice recorder have shifted focus to one of the pilots, who may have switched off the fuel control switches. The WSJ report attributed the information to 'people familiar with US officials' early assessment of the investigation' without identifying anyone. The preliminary investigation report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that the Air India plane crashed after both its engines were starved of fuel as the two fuel control switches transitioning of from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' position within a second of each other moments after lift-off. From the cockpit voice recorder data, the preliminary probe report notes that one of the pilots asked the other why he cut off the fuel, to which the other pilot responded saying he did not. The report just says the engine fuel control switches that allow and cut fuel flow to the plane's engines transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF. It does not state these were moved by either of the pilots. The initial probe report does not provide details of the rest of the verbal exchange between the two pilots. Various pilot groupings in India have hit out at the speculation in certain sections of pilot action–deliberate or inadvertent–that has followed the release of the preliminary probe report. Apart from the FIP, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), and the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA-I) have also flagged insinuation against the pilots of the doomed aircraft at this early stage of the investigation without any proof. Top officials of the aviation ministry, experts and industry insiders maintained that jumping to any conclusion at this early stage of the investigation just based on limited information in the initial report wouldn't be appropriate. There is a long way to go for the investigation and a lot could change as the probe progresses over the coming months, they said. The report, too, clearly mentions the disclaimer that it is based on 'preliminary facts and evidence', and that the information it contains is 'preliminary and subject to change'. According to experts, the investigators should now focus on unearthing the cause behind the transitioning of the fuel control switches, which are used to allow and cut fuel supply to the engines. There is considerable speculation on whether the switches were flicked by one of the pilots—inadvertently or otherwise—or whether the transition signal to the system was due to any technical, mechanical, or software issue. The report did not issue any recommendation to other operators of the Boeing 787-8 aircraft and its GE engines, suggesting that at this stage, the investigators do not have a reason to believe that there was any issue with the plane or its engines. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Report does not mention it was pilot error: Pilot Federation President on AI-171 crash report
MUMBAI: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President CS Randhawa on Thursday condemned a media report that claimed that the captain of the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad last month deliberately cut off fuel to the engines. Captain Randhawa dismissed the claims as baseless and vowed to take action against the publication. Captain CS Randhawa emphasised that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report makes no mention of the pilots turning off the switches controlling fuel flow to the engines. "Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot's mistake. I condemn the article. They said it was the pilot's mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action against them through FIP," Captain CS Randhawa told ANI. He further urged people not to comment on the AAIB's preliminary report, as this may create fear among commuters about air travel. "We had issued a press statement yesterday that no channel, commentator or president of any agency should give such an opinion that has no basis. The detailed report will take time; till then, people are giving their own opinions without any basis, which is not right," Captain Randhawa added. "Neither the report nor the Civil Aviation Minister has said that it was pilot must relate this to the incident of ANA NH985, which occurred on January 17, 2019. At the time of landing, when the pilot selected thrust reversers, both engines shut down without the pilot moving the fuel control switch. I am quite clear that this is a repetition of the TCMA (Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation) malfunction, and this needs a thorough investigation of the TCMA. Boeing has not taken any action yet and has not even tried to issue a directive that all these aircraft should be checked for TCMA functions. Secondly, there is not a single pilot in the investigation committee," he said.
New Indian Express
21 hours ago
- Politics
- 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.
