The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has asked the civil aviation ministry to give it a formal seat at the table as the investigation into the Air India AI-171 crash nears its final stage, arguing that the voice of professional pilots must be heard before the report is locked down.
In a letter dated September 25 to Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, the pilots' body requested that it be nominated as an "independent technical participant" in any mechanism set up to scrutinise the draft final report prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The request comes as the AAIB pushes towards completing its probe into the June 12, 2025 crash in Ahmedabad, in which 260 people were killed. The bureau has told the Supreme Court that the draft final report is expected to be ready in October.
FIP said it had "reliably learnt" that the government or the ministry had either directed or was considering requiring the draft report to be examined by an independent committee before it is circulated or finalised. If such a review body is constituted, the federation argued, it should be represented in the process as an independent technical stakeholder for the professional pilot community. It also asked that its technical submissions receive formal and documented consideration before the final report is issued.
The move follows another submission by FIP to the AAIB last week, in which it sought a comprehensive evaluation of electrical-system evidence related to Boeing 787 aircraft as part of the investigation. The crash involved an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered VT-ANB, operating a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. It went down shortly after take-off during the initial climb; of the 242 people on board, 241 were killed and one passenger survived, while 19 people on the ground also died. The victims included citizens of India, the UK, Portugal and Canada.
There was no immediate comment from the civil aviation ministry or the AAIB on the pilots' body's letter.
Sources:
- AI-171 crash probe: Pilots' body seeks formal review of its technical inputs — The Telegraph India (PTI)
- Air India AI 171 crash: Pilots' body seeks role in review of draft AAIB report — Business Today
In a letter dated September 25 to Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, the pilots' body requested that it be nominated as an "independent technical participant" in any mechanism set up to scrutinise the draft final report prepared by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The request comes as the AAIB pushes towards completing its probe into the June 12, 2025 crash in Ahmedabad, in which 260 people were killed. The bureau has told the Supreme Court that the draft final report is expected to be ready in October.
FIP said it had "reliably learnt" that the government or the ministry had either directed or was considering requiring the draft report to be examined by an independent committee before it is circulated or finalised. If such a review body is constituted, the federation argued, it should be represented in the process as an independent technical stakeholder for the professional pilot community. It also asked that its technical submissions receive formal and documented consideration before the final report is issued.
The move follows another submission by FIP to the AAIB last week, in which it sought a comprehensive evaluation of electrical-system evidence related to Boeing 787 aircraft as part of the investigation. The crash involved an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered VT-ANB, operating a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. It went down shortly after take-off during the initial climb; of the 242 people on board, 241 were killed and one passenger survived, while 19 people on the ground also died. The victims included citizens of India, the UK, Portugal and Canada.
There was no immediate comment from the civil aviation ministry or the AAIB on the pilots' body's letter.
Sources:
- AI-171 crash probe: Pilots' body seeks formal review of its technical inputs — The Telegraph India (PTI)
- Air India AI 171 crash: Pilots' body seeks role in review of draft AAIB report — Business Today
