Pilots Federation Slams Report Blaming Pilot for AI 171 Crash

Captain Randhawa clarified that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report made no mention of the pilots manually turning off the fuel control switches. “Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot’s mistake. I condemn the article. They said it was the pilot’s mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action against them through FIP,” he told ANI.

He urged media outlets and commentators not to speculate based on the preliminary findings, warning that it could spread fear among passengers. “We issued a press statement yesterday that no channel, commentator, or agency head should give such opinions without basis. The detailed report will take time. Until then, such commentary is not right,” he said.

Randhawa further argued that there had been a similar incident — the ANA NH985 flight on January 17, 2019 — where both engines shut down after landing when the pilot engaged thrust reversers, without touching the fuel control switches. He said the Air India crash might be another case of a Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation (TCMA) issue and demanded a deeper probe into TCMA systems in Boeing aircraft.

“Boeing has not taken any action yet or issued a directive to check the TCMA systems in similar aircraft. Secondly, there is not a single pilot on the investigation committee,” he pointed out. He called on the Civil Aviation Ministry to reconstitute the board and include experienced pilots, engineers, and air safety experts.

Stressing the competence of Indian pilots, Randhawa said, “Indian pilots are among the best in the world. I refused to comment to the Wall Street Journal, even though they approached me, because I am against this kind of reporting by the American media. They are interpreting the report in their own way, without facts. I strongly condemn the Wall Street Journal report and we will act against it.”

The FIP had earlier expressed “serious concern” about how the preliminary findings and media discourse surrounding the crash were being handled. In a formal statement, the federation objected to the exclusion of pilot representatives from the probe and criticized the interpretation of the AAIB report.

The controversy erupted after Reuters cited a Wall Street Journal report which claimed that cockpit voice recordings suggested the captain of flight AI-171 turned the engine fuel switches to the “cutoff” position shortly after takeoff. The report alleged that the first officer expressed surprise and panic, while the captain remained calm.

The DGCA, Boeing, and Air India have yet to respond publicly. The pilots of the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder — had clocked 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours of flying time, respectively.

The preliminary AAIB report confirmed confusion in the cockpit prior to the June 12 crash and highlighted concerns regarding the layout of the critical fuel cutoff switches. The crash killed 260 people — 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.