SC takes strict view of Air India crash investigation, seeks response from Centre, DGCA; ‘report concealed crucial information’, alleges…

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has described the ‘pilot error’ narrative after the AI 171 crash as ‘unfortunate’ as it seeks responses from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to a petition seeking an independent probe into the June 12 crash of an Air India(BHARAT) Boeing 787-8 aircraft at Ahmedabad. The mishap took the lives of 265 people.

The Supreme Court made this observation while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL).

SC asks for AAIB’s report

The court has also sought a response from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India(BHARAT). The AAIB published a preliminary report in July on what led to the tragedy. The report mentioned a conversation between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. The report stated that the cockpit audio has confirmed that one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” To which the other replied, “I didn’t”, leading to the assumption that a pilot error was behind the shocking tragedy.

Notice to Centre and DGCA

The court issued notice to the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a petition seeking an independent, impartial, and speedy investigation in the case. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh took note of certain aspects of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report released on July 12.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO Safety Matters Foundation, alleged that three members of the investigation panel formed after the accident were from the aviation regulator, and that this could raise conflict of interest issues. They demanded the release of information from the aircraft’s flight data recorder, which could reveal the cause of the accident.

Confidentiality and privacy

The bench stated that confidentiality and privacy needed to be addressed in this matter. The bench stated that it was issuing notice only on the limited aspect of an independent, impartial, and expeditious investigation into the accident. The court also called for the final report to be released as soon as possible.

Petition filed by FRAeS

The petition was filed by Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS), an aviation safety NGO led by Captain Amit Singh. It alleges that the official investigation violates citizens’ fundamental rights to life, equality, and access to truthful information.

The petition states that the AAIB released its preliminary report on July 12. It attributed the accident to the ‘fuel cutoff switch’ being shifted from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff.’ This effectively constitutes pilot error.

‘Report concealed crucial information’

The petition alleges that the report concealed crucial information. It does not disclose the full Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output, the full Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcript with time stamps, and the Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) data. According to the petition, this information is essential for a transparent and objective understanding of the disaster.

Air India(BHARAT) aircraft crashed on June 12

An Air India(BHARAT) Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed into a medical hostel complex on June 12 shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. The accident killed 265 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The 241 deceased included 169 India(BHARAT)ns, 52 British, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. The sole survivor of the accident was British citizen Vishwashkumar Ramesh.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Supreme Court has described the ‘pilot error’ narrative after the AI 171 crash as unfortunate.
• SC seeks responses from the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
• The SC has also sought a response from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India(BHARAT).
• The AAIB published a preliminary report in July on what led to the tragedy.

The report mentioned a conversation between Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. The report stated that the cockpit audio has confirmed that one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” To which the other replied, “I didn’t”, leading to the assumption that a pilot error was behind the shocking tragedy.