Indian Pilots Dispute US Media Report on Air India Flight 171 Crash Investigation

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) President, CS Randhawa, has dismissed a US media report on the cockpit voice recordings from the Air India crash investigation. The report cited unnamed US officials who provided an early assessment of the American investigation into the crash, stating that the preliminary report does not blame the pilot.

Captain Randhawa refuted the claims as unfounded and stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report does not mention the pilots turning off the fuel flow control switches in the Air India plane crash.

He condemned the article, emphasizing that the report did not attribute the fuel control switch being turned off to the pilot's error. Captain CS Randhawa mentioned that action would be taken against the publication through FIP for misinterpretation.

He highlighted that neither the report nor the Civil Aviation Minister implicated pilot error. He drew parallels with a previous incident and stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the malfunction. Captain Randhawa criticized the American media for providing their opinions without factual basis.

Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar also expressed concern over the leak of investigation details in the United States, noting that India's official preliminary report lacked the full cockpit voice recorder transcript.

The preliminary report on the Air India flight 171 crash revealed confusion in the cockpit before the June 12 incident and raised questions about the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches. The crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, resulted in the tragic loss of 260 lives.

According to the source: Mint.