Hours after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report on the deadly June 12 Air India crash, Air India announced on Saturday that it will hold dedicated sessions with its pilots to collectively review the probe report.
The 15-page report found that both engines of Air India flight AI171 lost fuel supply within a second of each other during ascent, causing the aircraft to lose thrust and crash moments after takeoff. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner slammed into a medical college hostel near Ahmedabad airport, killing 260 people. Only one passenger survived, making it India’s deadliest air disaster in over a decade.
In an internal message to pilots, Manish Uppal, Air India’s senior vice president for flight operations, acknowledged the profound impact of the tragedy on the aviation community. “This is not the last word, but an important step in identifying factors and ensuring all possible measures are taken to prevent such a tragedy from reoccurring,” Uppal wrote. “Together, we will reflect, react and rise more than before,” he added.
Uppal said Air India will soon organise sessions with its pilot community to analyse the report and extract key safety learnings. “As aviation professionals, we understand top importance from every safety event is the learning to ensure safe skies,” he added.
The AAIB report revealed that the cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel had been cut off. The other pilot reportedly denied taking such action. Investigators found that the fuel-control switches for both engines had been moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position, actions which would have to be performed manually and deliberately, as the switches are protected by a mechanical gate that must be lifted to operate.
Pilots’ association slams probe report
Despite these findings, the report has stirred controversy. The Airline Pilots Association of India criticised the probe, calling it “shrouded in secrecy” and “biased against the pilot”. “The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias towards pilot error… ALPA India categorically rejects this presumption and insists on a fair, fact-based inquiry,” Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) said in a statement.
The investigation, which included input from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch and the US National Transportation Safety Board, is ongoing. Aviation analysts have called for greater transparency and further scrutiny of the aircraft systems, including potential mechanical faults, before any definitive conclusions are drawn.