The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday opposed the issuance of any interim report on the Air India AI-171 crash and reiterated its demand for a magisterial inquiry, with its president, Capt CS Randhawa, saying incomplete findings could spark speculation rather than clarity.
Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad ahead of the first anniversary of the plane crash, Randhawa said the Air Accident Investigation Bureau should issue a final report only after completing the investigation.
He said the pilots’ body had approached the Supreme Court and lodged multiple representations with the Civil Aviation Ministry and other authorities, raising concerns about the investigation.
The London-bound Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed seconds after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, including 19 on the ground, after colliding with a hostel building of the PJ Medical College in Meghaninagar. One passenger survived.
Randhawa said the direction of the investigation had raised concerns within the pilot community and alleged that the focus had shifted towards pilots without conclusive evidence. He referred to the initial report released in July last year, and said that its reference to fuel control switches had led to speculation about the experimental work, including theories published in sections of foreign media. He said such conclusions were premature.
He also questioned certain aspects of the investigation process, saying significant technical issues required closer examination. Randhawa raised concerns about the decision to send the plane’s engines to the United States for analysis, and said that such an examination could have been conducted in India.
Investigators should also examine the possibility of an electrical disturbance affecting the aircraft’s systems, Randhawa said, arguing that such a scenario could have disrupted the flow of data to the engine control systems and contributed to the sequence of events that led to the accident. He said that this aspect requires a detailed technical examination before drawing any conclusions.
According to him, the purpose of the investigation should be to determine the sequence of events based on complete evidence and improve aviation safety. He said that issuing an interim report before completing basic examinations would not serve this goal.
Randhawa said the pilot body had written more than 20 letters to authorities, including the AAIB, seeking clarity on the investigation and seeking greater involvement of domain experts. He said all available data, including input from flight recorders and aircraft systems, should be examined before any conclusions can be drawn.
Randhawa also questioned the delay in interviewing the lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was interviewed about 10 months later, while efforts were made early to check the mental health of the pilots.
