The clarification comes after the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) called for a judicial inquiry into the crash of Air India Flight AI 171 last month. The pilots’ body had accused the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of compromising the investigation’s integrity.
The FIP also accused the AAIB of leaking protected cockpit voice recorder (CVR) information. They claim the leaked details have allegedly led to a “character assassination” of Captain Sabharwal, a decorated pilot with over 15,000 hours of safe flying experience.
### Judicial Inquiry: FIP Calls for Court of Inquiry
The FIP stressed that under Rule 3 of the 2017 Rules, “The sole objective of the investigation shall be prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.” According to the pilots’ body, the AAIB’s actions are in direct contravention of this mandate.
Furthermore, the FIP states that the AAIB’s conduct contravenes the spirit and letter of ICAO Annex 13, which obligates member states to conduct independent and impartial investigations.
### AAIB Preliminary Report
On July 12, the AAIB issued its preliminary report on the crash, attributing the incident to the “fuel cutoff switches” being switched from “RUN” to “CUTOFF,” suggesting a pilot error.
The report notes: “The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec.”
### Minister Naidu Comments: Wait for the Final Report
Commenting on the AAIB’s preliminary findings, Minister Naidu emphasized that the investigation was “transparent, independent, and not influenced by anyone.”
“As far as the AAIB is concerned, it is the mandated authority to look into aircraft accidents. It follows a very thorough, transparent and independent approach—just considering the facts,” he told India Today.
That being said, Minister Naidu urged patience, highlighting that the preliminary report is not the final word. “To find a consensus on what exactly happened, we have to wait,” he added.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/india/no-dirty-business-in-air-india-crash-probe-aviation-minister/story
