AI171 victims’ families seek Boeing 787 pilot on probe panel, final crash report timeline

Ahmedabad: Nearly 30 families who lost relatives in the Air India Flight AI-171 crash have written to the Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Sunday seeking the inclusion of an experienced Boeing 787 pilot in the official accident investigation, a clear timeline for the release of the final report and regular updates from investigators.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Civil Aviation, the families urged the Union government to ensure that the investigation into the crash on June 12 last year is “fair and transparent”.

They said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) should establish a formal communication channel with affected families, provide updates every 15 or 30 days and organise meetings where relatives can ask questions and receive answers.

“We also request that a clear timeline be announced for the release of the Final Investigation Report, and that the report be released as soon as possible,” the letter said.

The families also called for an experienced commercial pilot with Boeing 787 flying and aircraft accident investigation experience to be included in the investigation team.

Citing media reports, they said: “There was no independent commercial pilot with Boeing 787 operational experience on the committee.”

The letter also requested that the AAIB conduct independent full-flight simulator validation tests before issuing its final conclusions.

Referring to calls by the Federation of Indian Pilots for such testing, the families said the simulator exercises were necessary to independently verify the sequence of events described in the preliminary report.

“The simulator test results appear to raise serious questions about the theory of pilot error. Therefore, before any final conclusion is made, these concerns should be independently verified,” the letter said.

The families also raised concerns over compensation-related documentation.

They alleged that Air India was asking next of kin to sign a release document that appeared to waive legal rights not only against the airline but also against other companies associated with the aircraft and its systems, including Boeing, General Electric, GE Aerospace, Safran and Honeywell.

“As a family member, I am opposed to this condition. Families should not be pressured to give up their legal rights before the Final Investigation Report is released and before the full facts are known,” a family member said in a letter, adding that dependants should retain the right to pursue legal claims wherever permitted.

A representative of the families said nearly 30 families had sent the letter to the Civil Aviation Minister but that no response had yet been received from the Ministry.

Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground, making it one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.

The AAIB released its preliminary report on July 12 last year, describing factual findings from the early stages of the investigation but making no determination of probable cause.

On the first anniversary of the accident last month, the bureau issued an interim statement, saying investigators had carried out an extensive examination of technical, operational, organisational and human factors and reiterated that the purpose of the investigation was to improve aviation safety rather than apportion blame.

It said the final report would be released only after all investigative work and the required international review had been completed.

Copies of the letter were sent to several senior government and aviation authorities.

The primary recipients were the Union Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Copies were also marked to the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Minister’s Private Secretary, the Ministry’s Public Grievance Officer, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), AAIB Director General G.V.G. Yugandhar, and the AAIB’s official email address.

IANS