Page 6 - The Indian EYE 072525

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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