Cong MP accuses Centre of obfuscating probe details in Air India 171 crash

New Delhi: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Thursday criticised the Central government for failing to conclude ‘actual reasons’ behind the Air India Flight 171 crash, even after six months of the horrific incident and accused it of obfuscating ‘findings’ to avoid further embarrassment.

The ill-fated aircraft was headed to London’s Gatwick Airport on June 12, with 230 passengers and 12 crew aboard, but crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad Airport, resulting in more than 260 casualties, including more than a dozen on the ground.

Notably, the aviation authorities are investigating a series of possible technical snags that led to one of the worst aviation disasters in country, however, nothing substantial or any ‘incriminating evidence’ has come out yet.

The Congress lawmaker took to X on Thursday to share his pointed questions raised in the Lok Sabha over alleged lapses, lack of coordination between Indian and US agencies and also asked the government about what steps it was taking to uphold global safety standards and restore public confidence, after the tragic plane crash in Gujarat.

“Over 6 months have elapsed since Air India 171 tragically crashed in Ahmedabad, we still do not know what exactly happened,” he said in a post on X.

Replying to his query, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, however, stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was conducting an investigation as per the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and this required participation of other stakeholders, including scrutiny by aviation experts.

“Rear Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) and front EAFR were recovered on 13th June 2025 and 16th June 2025, respectively. They were transferred to AAIB on 24th June 2025 with all security protocols in vogue. Both EAFRs (combined FDR and CVR, front and rear) are in custody of AAIB, since their retrieval from the crash site under constant security and CCTV surveillance,” the minister further told the House in a written response, replying to questions on flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR).

However, this failed to impress the Congress lawmaker from Chandigarh.

Notably, the AAIB had released its 15-page preliminary findings of the investigation, a month after the deadly Air India 171 crash, on July 12, giving an insight into possible reasons leading to the disaster.

It stated that the aircraft’s engine fuel control switches “transitioned” from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ position, minutes after the plane took off, however, it didn’t clarify on whether the switches were moved physically.

The report didn’t specify whether any of the pilots made the switchover, but it reported about conversation within the cockpit where one of the pilots asked another why he cut off, with the other stating that he didn’t do it.

IANS