Air India Plane Crash Report: Pilots' Union Questions Direction Of Investigation 'Presuming The Guilt'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Air India Plane Crash Report: Hours after the preliminary report on its investigation into the Air India flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad was released, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA ) claimed that the probe was 'being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots.'

The association also urged the government to include it as an observer in the investigation into the Air India AI-171 crash in which 260 people, including 241 onboard passengers, were killed on June

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In an official statement, ALPA India President Captain Sam Thomas said the union has reviewed the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and shared its concerns.

“We have been given a copy of the preliminary report which is believed to be furnished by the AAIB to the media....We are once again surprised at the secrecy surrounding these investigations,” the statement said.

The AAIB preliminary report was uploaded on the official website on Friday midnight. The 15-page report reveals the dramatic cockpit voice recordings in which one of the slain pilots notices that the fuel had been cut off to both engines during the takeoff.

The co-pilot denies initiating the action, as per the recording revealed in the preliminary report released on Friday night – a month after the deadly accident.

“There is reference to a bulletin on the serviceability of the fuel control switch gates indicating that there could be a potential malfunction. 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,” the statement said.

ALPA India represents Indian pilots at the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA), headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Minister Reacts

Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naid has stressed that the probe report on the crash only has preliminary findings.“I don't think we should jump to any conclusions over this,” he told reporters in Visakhapatnam on Saturday afternoon.

Also Read | AI crash: In first reaction to AAIB report, Minister says 'let's wait for...'

The ALPA statement also reiterated the fact that "suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations.”

It also highlighted the fact that an internal newspaper had published an article on July 10 referring to the inadvertent movement of the fuel control switches.“How did this information reach them?” the statement asked.

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.

“In the wake of the aforementioned points, we once again request the powers that be to include us even in the capacity of observers so as to provide the requisite transparency in the investigations,” it said.

(With agency inputs)

Key Takeaways

• The Airline Pilots' Association of India demands transparency and inclusion in the investigation.
• The preliminary report raises questions about potential mechanical failures rather than pilot error.
• Concerns regarding the secrecy and qualifications of investigators have been highlighted by the pilots' union.

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