Pilots’ unions say it’s unfair to blame Air India crew for plane crash

New Delhi: India’s pilot associations have slammed the ‘reckless speculation’ around the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad, as sections of the media have hinted that the pilots are to be blamed for the tragic incident.

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) on Sunday condemned ‘insinuations of pilot suicide’ as baseless and insensitive, saying the crew acted in line with their training for an emergency.

“Speculation is irresponsible and cruel. There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage… invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete information is not only irresponsible, it is deeply insensitive,” ICPA said in a statement.

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA) has already criticised the preliminary investigation report, calling the tone of the probe biased towards pilot error and lacking in transparency. They have demanded that line pilots be included in the investigation process, at least as observers, to ensure transparency and accountability.

The pilots’ associations have also questioned the selective media leaks hinting at pilot error ahead of the publication of the preliminary report.

A preliminary report released by the AAIB on Saturday stated that both engines of the Air India Dreamliner lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the ‘RUN’ to the ‘CUTOFF’ position, within seconds of take-off.

The cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned back to the RUN position just before the plane crashed.

According to former AAIB director Aurobindo Handa, the report presents a factual timeline but does not identify what triggered the failure. “Even though the report is out, it just contains the facts… what has gone on in those 30-odd seconds. It is nothing conclusive.”

He pointed out that preliminary and final findings often differ in air crash investigations and that a deeper technical analysis is still required. “We have seen the initial findings and the final findings — they are at variance in the majority of the investigations,” he explained.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu also said on Saturday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.

IANS