New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has dismissed allegations of interference in the probe into the Air India crash that claimed 260 lives on June 12, assuring that the investigation is being conducted with complete transparency and integrity.
Addressing concerns raised about the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) handling of the case, Naidu said the process is “clean, thorough, and strictly by the rules.” He urged patience until the AAIB releases its final report, adding that there will be no pressure on investigators to rush their findings.
“There is no manipulation or dirty business happening in the investigation. It is a very clean and very thorough process,” the minister said while speaking at a book launch in the capital.
The June 12 tragedy, one of India’s worst aviation disasters, involved an Air India Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 241 passengers and 19 crew members on board.
In its preliminary findings released on July 12, the AAIB reported that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, leading to confusion in the cockpit. The voice recorder reportedly captured an exchange between the pilots, with one asking the other why the engines were cut off — to which the second pilot denied doing so.
Amid the ongoing investigation, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), representing around 5,500 pilots, called for a judicial inquiry on September 22, claiming the current probe was “compromised.” Earlier, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal—one of the pilots of the ill-fated flight—wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking a formal inquiry under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. He expressed distress over media leaks suggesting his son was under psychological strain before the crash, calling the reports damaging and baseless.
The Supreme Court, in a related observation on September 22, criticised the selective publication of the preliminary report, calling it “unfortunate and irresponsible” as it appeared to influence public perception before the final findings were made official.
The AAIB’s final report is expected to provide a comprehensive account of the technical and human factors behind the crash once its detailed investigation is complete.
