India’s top court demands government, DGCA response on Air India crash probe
India’s Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the federal government and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking their responses to a public interest litigation (PIL) that calls for an independent, fair, and expedited investigation into the Air India plane crash that claimed 260 lives, officials confirmed.
The apex court took strong exception to reports quoting the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) preliminary report suggesting that pilots deliberately shut off fuel supply, and described such claims as "very unfortunate and irresponsible," News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
AAIB, a government body investigating aircraft accidents in India, released its preliminary report on July 12.
The plea filed by Safety Matters Foundation, a non-governmental organization, has flagged certain issues with the preliminary report. It alleged that the report violated the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, which mandate full disclosure of factual data gathered in the early stages of an inquiry.
The petitioners argue that the report prematurely attributes the plane crash to alleged pilot error while overlooking documented systemic and technical irregularities.
Additionally, it alleged that three probe panel members were from the aviation regulator, which may indicate a conflict of interest. The preliminary report also failed to incorporate or even acknowledge the testimony of the sole surviving passenger.
The petitioners sought the release of the information from the plane's flight data recorder, which would clear the air over the cause of the accident.
On June 12, the London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, about 17 km south of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat, killing all but one of the 242 people on board.
The accident also killed 19 people and injured 67 others on the ground after it crashed at the premises of B J Medical College in the Meghaninagar area, causing severe damage to the buildings.
AAIB, in its preliminary report on the crash, found that the fuel to the engines of the plane was cut off following confusion over engine switch movement in the cockpit between the pilots.
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