The Federation of Indian Pilots has written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation demanding the constitution of a Court of Inquiry (judicial probe) into the investigation of the fatal crash of Air India Flight AI 171, that took place on June 12.
In a formal letter on September 22, the pilots' body said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had "fundamentally and irrevocably compromised the integrity, impartiality, and legality of the ongoing investigation", ANI reported.
The federation alleged that the AAIB's conduct has "moved beyond mere procedural irregularity into the realm of manifest bias and unlawful action. This has rendered the current investigation untenable, and its potential findings are likely to affect the morale of the pilots."
It demanding a court of inquiry under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. “We will also be moving the Supreme Court early next week with a similar request,” a source was quoted as saying by The New Indian Express.
AAIB's visit to Capt. Sabharwal's residence
On August 30, AAIB officials visited the residence of Capt. Sabharwal's 91-year-old father, "under the disingenuous 'pretext of offering condolences', according to the letter written to the Civil Aviation Ministry.
Captain Sabharwal was one of the two pilots who were flying the Air India plane that crashed just moments after take off, resulting in the death of everybody on board, except one passenger.
The FIP said, "During this interaction, these officials made damaging 'insinuations' based on a 'selective CVR interpretation and a so-called 'layered voice analysis,' suggesting that Capt. Sabharwal had deliberately moved the fuel control switches to the CUTOFF position post-take-off."
The pilots' body described the action as "procedurally improper and professionally indefensible," and accused the officials of attempting to establish a "pilot error" narrative prematurely, ANI reported.
The letter also charged the AAIB with "flagrant violation" of its own rules by leaking protected cockpit voice recorder information. "Rule 17(5) of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, explicitly and unequivocally prohibits the public disclosure of the audio content of cockpit voice recordings. Despite this clear legal restriction, selective details and interpretations of the CVR have been systematically leaked to the media," the FIP noted.
These disclosures, it said, resulted in the "character assassination of a decorated professional" with a 30-year flying career and more than 15,000 hours of safe flying.
The FIP stressed that under Rule 3 of the 2017 Rules, "The sole objective of the investigation shall be prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.' The AAIB's actions are in direct contravention of this mandate."
It further warned that the conduct "contravenes the spirit and letter of ICAO Annex 13, which obligates member states to conduct independent and impartial investigations. A flawed domestic probe compromises India's standing in the global aviation community."
Calling for a judicial probe, the federation wrote: "The FIP submits that the circumstances surrounding the AI 171 investigation make the constitution of a Court of Inquiry not merely 'expedient,' but an absolute and urgent necessity."
The federation demanded that the Court of Inquiry be presided over by a retired Supreme Court judge and assisted by independent experts in operations, aircraft maintenance, avionics, and human factors.
"The Federation of Indian Pilots, and the entire professional pilot community it represents, has a solemn and non-negotiable duty to the victims of Flight AI 171, to their grieving families, and to the future safety of the travelling public," the letter concluded.
(With inputs from ANI)
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