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EYE ON INDIA                                                             JULY 25, 2025     |  The Indian Eye                    6


            Pilots Push Back, Media Under




               Fire as Air India Crash Probe



                                   Sparks Controversy






          Pilot associations and aviation experts have criticized early Western media reports for casting blame

                  prematurely on the captain, calling for restraint until the final investigation is complete.


        OUR BUREAU                                                                                            the absence of an official conclusion
                                                                                                              from the AAIB. They argue that the
        New Delhi / Pune
                                                                                                              premature attribution of fault under-
              he fallout from the tragic crash                                                                mines  the  integrity  of the  investiga-
              of  Air  India  flight  AI  171  in                                                             tive process and could tarnish repu-
        TAhmedabad last month has                                                                             tations unjustly.
        intensified, not just in terms of griev-                                                                  A senior Air India captain who
        ing families and an ongoing investiga-                                                                requested anonymity said the leak of
        tion, but also in the form of a growing                                                               such selective and possibly contextless
        backlash from the aviation commu-                                                                     cockpit conversations to the media was
        nity. At the heart of the controversy                                                                 “deeply unethical and dangerous.”
        is anger over how early findings have                                                                     “This  is not how crash investi-
        been interpreted — and reported —                                                                     gations work. These things require
        particularly by sections of the West-                                                                 months  of  correlation,  testing,  and
        ern media, who have suggested pilot                                                                   technical  validation,”  the  captain
        error based on inconclusive evidence.                                                                 said.  “To  suggest,  based  on  sec-
            The Aircraft Accident Investi-                                                                    ond-hand  interpretations,  that  the
        gation Bureau (AAIB) of India re-                                                                     captain turned off fuel switches is ir-
        leased a preliminary report earlier                                                                   responsible.”
        this  week,  which  does  not  explicitly                                                                 A growing chorus of Indian avia-
        attribute the cause of the crash to any                                                               tion professionals is also questioning
        specific individual or mechanical fail-                                                               the role of Western media in shaping
        ure.  However,  a  subsequent  article                                                                global narratives around air accidents
        by The Wall Street Journal — citing                                                                   involving non-Western carriers. The
        unnamed sources familiar with early                                                                   sense of bias — subtle or overt — is
        U.S. assessments — reported that the                                                                  being widely discussed across indus-
        crash may have been triggered when                                                                    try forums.
        the aircraft’s captain allegedly turned                                                                   “The tone and timing of some of
        off switches controlling the fuel sup-                                                                these stories are suspect,” said an avi-
        ply to the engines.                                                                                   ation analyst in New Delhi. “There’s
            This claim has sent shockwaves                                                                    a rush to push a narrative before the
        through India’s aviation communi-   People light candles to pay tribute to the victims of the Air India AI-171 flight crash  (ANI)  facts are known — and it almost al-
        ty, especially among pilots, many of                                                                  ways seems to center on blaming the
        whom feel that their colleague is be-                                                                 crew from the Global South.”
        ing unfairly scapegoated based on an  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the  mary base,” he said. “They have also   Both pilots on the ill-fated flight
        incomplete and unofficial interpreta-  most advanced long-haul jets in Air  clarified that this is not the final re-  were  experienced.  Captain  Sabhar-
        tion of the cockpit voice recorder.  India’s fleet.                 port. It won’t be correct to draw con-  wal  had  logged  over  15,600  flying
            “Nowhere does the AAIB report     While the exact chain of events  clusions until all facts are available.”  hours,  while  First  Officer  Kunder
        say that the Captain turned off the  remains  unclear,  early  data  recov-  The  Wall  Street  Journal  article  had over 3,400 hours. Colleagues de-
        switches,” said veteran pilot Captain  ered from the black box — still under  also painted a dramatic picture inside  scribe them as disciplined profession-
        Sharath Panicker. “Let’s stick to the  analysis by the AAIB — forms only  the cockpit, alleging that First Officer  als with spotless records — another
        facts. The full input is with the AAIB,  part of what officials stress will be a  Clive Kunder was surprised and pan-  reason why many are urging the pub-
        and once that comes out, only then  far more comprehensive final report.  icked when Captain Sumeet Sabhar-  lic  and  media  to  avoid  jumping  to
        can we say anything about this.”      Union Minister of State for Civil  wal moved the fuel switches to the  conclusions.
            The fatal crash claimed 260 lives,  Aviation Murlidhar Mohol echoed  “cutoff” position after the aircraft   The  final  AAIB  report,  which
        including  229  passengers,  12  crew  these concerns during a press briefing  climbed off the runway. The captain,  could take several more weeks or
        members, and 19 individuals on the  in  Pune  on  Thursday,  stating  firmly  according  to  the  same  report,  re-  months,  will  examine  all  aspects  of
        ground. One passenger miraculously  that it would be “inappropriate to  mained calm.                  the  crash  —  mechanical  systems,
        survived,  providing  a  rare  firsthand  reach conclusions based on a prelim-  But Indian pilot associations  flight data, pilot actions, weather con-
        account of the moments before im-  inary report.”                   have criticized the narrative as specu-  ditions, and more — before reaching
        pact. The aircraft involved was a     “The  AAIB  report  is  on  a  pri-  lative and damaging, especially given  definitive conclusions.


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