AI171 crew deserves fact-driven investigation, not conjecture, says AI pilots body

Mumbai: Indian Pilots Guild, an association of Air India pilots, on Monday slammed the preliminary report on Boeing 787-8 plane crash on June 12, saying that the crew of AI171 deserves a thorough, “fact-driven investigation” and not conjecture or sensationalism.

In a communication to its members, the managing committee of Air India wide-body aircraft pilots also said that the report that “omits vital technical explanations and cockpit voice transcripts” opens the door to “unnecessary” speculation and misinformed narratives in the media.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report on the crash that killed 260 people on June 12 said the fuel switches to the engines were cut off within a gap of 1 second immediately after takeoff and caused confusion in the cockpit of Tata Group-run Air India flight AI 171.

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Citing cockpit voice recording, the 15-page preliminary report, released on Saturday, said one pilot asked why the switch was cut off and the other pilot responded that he did not do so.

“The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) expresses deep concern over the preliminary report released on the tragic loss of our flight AI171,” the IPG said.

Stating that it acknowledges the “complexities” of ongoing investigations, the pilots’ body said, “We find the current report incomplete in critical areas-specifically the unexplained dual engine shutdown and absence of detailed cockpit communication.”

Significantly, two other pilots’ bodies, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA-India), have objected to the report, put up by the AAIB on its website past midnight on Friday.

ICPA is the narrow-body pilot grouping at Air India while ALPA-India is a member associate of International Federation of Airline Pilots (IFALPA), which claims to have 1 lakh pilots as its members from across 100 countries.

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at precisely 13:39 IST, en route to London Gatwick. There were 228 passengers and 14 crew members on board the 13-year-old aircraft. Thirty-two seconds later, the aircraft lost thrust in both engines, dropped altitude rapidly, and slammed into a medical hostel just 1.2 nautical miles from the runway end.

“A report that omits vital technical explanations and cockpit voice transcripts opens the door to unnecessary speculation and misinformed narratives in the media,” the IPG said.

Such omissions, according to the pilot’s body, not only erode public trust but also “risk unjustly” undermining the professionalism and conduct of the flight crew involved..

“Let us be clear: premature conclusions based on half-verified data are irresponsible. They harm reputations, delay real safety lessons, and distract from the pursuit of truth,” it said, adding, ” the crew of Al171 deserves a thorough, fact-driven investigation, not conjecture or sensationalism.

The Guild also called upon all media outlets, public commentators, social media influencers and institutions to “uphold restraint, empathy, and respect for due process.”

Aviation safety depends on transparency and accuracy-not assumptions, it stated.

The IPG said it “remains committed to supporting the dignity of its colleagues.”

“We urge investigative bodies to deliver a complete, conclusive, and technically sound report in the spirit of accountability and truth,” the Air India pilots’ body said.

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