New Delhi: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) has raised serious concerns over the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the tragic Air India Flight AI-171 crash, which claimed 260 lives. The union has formally requested to be included in the ongoing probe as observers to ensure transparency and fairness.
ALPA India President Captain Sam Thomas expressed strong objections to what he described as a biased narrative blaming the pilots. “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,” he said in a statement issued Saturday.
The crash occurred on June 12 when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. All 241 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground were killed.
ALPA has criticised the secrecy surrounding the investigation, alleging that pilots are being kept in the dark. Captain Thomas called for reforms in the investigative process and questioned the legitimacy of documents circulated without official signatures.
“We are surprised that a document so crucial has been given to the media without any responsible person signing it,” ALPA said. “We once again request the powers that be to include us, even in the capacity of observers, to ensure transparency.”
According to the AAIB's preliminary report, both fuel control switches supplying fuel to the aircraft's engines were turned off in quick succession, leading to a total shutdown mid-air. One of the pilots was recorded on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why the fuel was cut, to which the response was: “he did not.”
However, top aviation safety expert Mark Martin questioned this scenario, noting that pilots would have no reason to tamper with rear cockpit switches during take-off, when their attention is typically focused on forward instruments. “It is highly unlikely that any pilot, especially during take-off, would want to meddle with switches behind the thrust levers,” he said, adding that the focus would be on raising landing gear or adjusting flaps—both controls located at the front of the cockpit.
Martin emphasised the importance of withholding judgement until the full and final investigative report is released.
The incident continues to spark debate within the aviation community, with ALPA calling for greater involvement and oversight to protect the integrity of the investigation.
With IANS inputs