Ahmedabad plane crash: The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a petition demanding an independent, fair, and speedy investigation into the June 12 Air India crash, which killed all but one passenger onboard. The court also described the pilot’s lapses cited in the AAIB preliminary report as “irresponsible”. The bench also raised concerns over the AAIB’s preliminary findings being made public, calling the selective release of the report “unfortunate”, observing that confidentiality must be maintained until the inquiry is fully completed.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO Safety Matters Foundation, argued that the presence of three DGCA officials on the probe panel created a potential conflict of interest.
“How can officers of the very organisation whose role is likely to be examined be part of the inquiry?” he argued, as per a report by Live Law.
He also sought the release of the Flight Data Recorder information to establish the exact cause of the crash. The bench, however, disagreed with him on this point, citing that the premature release of the data is not “advisable”.
When Bhushan told the court that the families of the people who were killed in the crash have reached out to him and they have expressed concern over the “feul cut-off” mentioned in the report, the court tagged the selective release of the report “unfortunate”, adding, “Instead of piecemeal leaking of information, somebody should maintain confidentiality till regular inquiry is taken to logical conclusion.”
‘Avoid rumours until final enquiry’
“When this kind of tragedy happens, one airline would be blamed. Boeing and Airbus will not be attributed with fault, and so the entire airline is run down,” Justice Kant said.
The bench warned that releasing certain technical details could compromise confidentiality, dignity, and privacy.
The petition, filed by aviation safety expert Captain Amit Singh’s NGO, contends that the official inquiry undermines fundamental rights to life, equality, and access to reliable information. It also alleges that the AAIB’s preliminary report unfairly suggested pilot error by citing “fuel cutoff switches” being moved from “run” to “cutoff”.
What does the petition say?
According to the plea, the report omits crucial evidence such as the complete Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output, full Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts with time stamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) data—information considered essential for an objective investigation.
The petition also argues that the report prematurely points towards pilot error, and highlights the conflict of interest in the five-member team constituted to probe the accident. It also said that the “selective and biased” report not only violates Article 21 of the Constitution but also suppresses the truth.
Yet another plea before the Supreme Court calls for the suspension of the Boeing fleet. Two doctors have also urged the CJI to take suo motu cognisance of the case, Live Law reported.
Fuel-cutoff in AAIB report
The report mentioned a cockpit exchange between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, where one pilot was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other responded, “I didn’t.”
The June 12 crash involved Air India’s Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft veered to one side and crashed into a building, killing 265 people, including 241 passengers and crew. Victims included 169 Indian nationals, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. The only survivor was British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh.