“This is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards the safety of the Indian aviation industry, particularly based on unfounded facts”—AAIB DG Yugandhar
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) which left many questions answered in its preliminary report on the unfortunate June-12 Air India 171 crash on Thursday was compelled to issue a scathing, unambiguous statement slamming the US media reports for it “selective and unverified reporting” blaming the senior captain.
The constant media reports in the west pointing fingers at Captain Sumeet Sabharwal on basis of some information from US authorities, saw AAIB slamming “irresponsible” drawing of “conclusions” through such reports
Speculation in sections of the foreign media regarding the cause of the crash is “unfounded” and “premature”, AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar said in his first public statement since the crash of Boeing 787-8 aircraft (registration VT-ANB), which killed 241 of the 242 people on board. “It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing,” he said.
Titled ‘Appeal’, the statement followed The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report claiming that Sabharwal turned off fuel switches moments before the crash, which leading to anger
The WSJ report said the US assessment was based on black box data and speculated on whether Sabharwal’s actions were deliberate or accidental. It added that such details could lead US authorities to examine potential criminal liability had the crash occurred on American soil. Yugandhar also urged people and media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative procedure
“It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft, and other deceased persons on the ground,” he also wrote.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the cockpit recording of the last conversation between the two pilots indicated that the Captain cut off the fuel to the plane’s engine. It says that the first officer flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner asked the more-experienced Captain why he moved the switches to the “cutoff” position shortly after the flight took off from the runway. The First Officer (late Clive Kunder) then expressed panic while Captain remained calm, as per the report
According to the report posted on AAIB website, “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so.”
On Thursday Indian’ pilots associations, including the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India), which did not support AAIB’s this statement also, went all out against the US media report saying there was no reason to support the claims that Captain Sabharwal may have been under stress.
Notably, the AAIB report did not rule out technical faults and stated that aviation medicine and psychology experts were involved in the ongoing investigation.
What AAIB DG also said-
In Thursday’s statement, the AAIB DG also underscored its “flawless record” and said its final probe on the crash will come out with “root causes and recommendations”.
Noting that the AAIB has investigated 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents since its inception in 2012, he called the AI171 crash “the most devastating accident in recent aviation history”. It had “understandably drawn public attention and shock”, but this was not the time “to create public anxiety or angst towards the safety of the Indian aviation industry, particularly based on unfounded facts,” he said
“The purpose of the AAIB’s investigation and preliminary report is to provide information about what happened. At this stage, it is too early to reach any definite conclusions,” Yugandhar said.
The AAIB was investigating the crash “rigorously and most professionally” under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, which govern India’s obligations under international aviation protocols, notably the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Annex 13. These rules lay down procedures for impartial, non-criminal investigations focused on safety improvement rather than blame, he said
He also appealed to “all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report after completion of the investigation. AAIB will also publish updates as and when required, which have technical and public interest.”
