The Centre informed the Supreme Court that the preliminary probe into the Air India Ahmedabad crash does not blame pilot Sumeet Sabharwal, bringing relief to his grieving family.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday informed the Supreme Court of India that preliminary investigation report (PIR) into the June crash of Air India Flight 171 does not blame pilot in command Sumeet Sabharwal for the tragedy.
“The gentleman (Captain Sumeet Sabharwal) has not done anything. He was flying the aircraft. He is our witness. Nobody can blame him for anything,” a bench led by Justice Surya Kant told Sabharwal’s 91-year-old father, appearing in the court to pursue the plea seeking an independent judicially monitored probe into the matter.
Referring to the PIR, the bench said, “Nothing has happened in the report so far where there is an indication or an insinuation that he has done something wrong.”
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying as Air India Express Flight 171 had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Ahmedabad) for London’s Gatwick on June 12, when it crashed into a hostel building attached to a medical college a few minutes after take-off, killing 260 people (241 on-board and 19 on ground).
PIRB of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) concluded that fuel control switches of both engines moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” position only seconds after the plane took-off from the Ahmedabad airport, resulting into fuel starvation and consequent dual engine failure, but did not find the movement as deliberate or the responsibility of the pilot in command.
Seeking a court-monitored independent inquiry, the pilot’s father, with the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), had filed a petition in the apex court, alleging that the existing probe into the matter was “defective and suffers from serious infirmities”.
Responding to the plea, the Centre told the court that the investigation is being carried out as per international conventions and framework and that so far, no blame has been fixed to anyone. The court has asked the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to formally respond to the plea.
Aviation experts, however, note that while movement of the fuel control switches of both engines (reported in the PIR) would appear to be deliberate, as per the mandate of AAIB, the investigative agency cannot “fix blame” on anyone.
They, instead, only establish the causes and make safety recommendations. The regulator and the airline, for the time being, have chosen to stay away from such statements and only noted that the report shared was preliminary.
