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AAIB ropes in veteran pilot Captain RS Sandhu in Air India crash probe
Capt. Sandhu, ex-B787 examiner, joins crash probe panel after experts stressed the need for a technical expert in the investigation team.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has expanded its panel by including veteran pilot and Air India’s former director of operations Captain RS Sandhu as a domain expert in the ongoing probe into the Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 260 people last month, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The development to rope in Capt. Sandhu, a former B787 examiner, comes after several experts highlighted the need for a technical expert on the panel investigating the crash.
“Capt. Sandhu, who is the founder of aviation consultancy firm Aviazione, was approached by the AAIB chief to join the panel,” an official aware of the development said, requesting anonymity. “Capt. Sandhu is also the person who took delivery of the B787 that crashed on July 12.”
Sandhu, who was with Air India for close to 39 years in various capacities, had also headed a team that worked on the integration of the Tata Group airlines.
The AAIB did not respond to HT’s request for a comment.
“The AAIB has the right to include domain experts as and when required during the investigation,” Aurobindo Handa, former AAIB director general, said.
Officials, meanwhile, also indicated that more members could be added to the panel.
“There may be a few more domain experts, including from engineering, added to the panel in the coming days,” a second official said, also declining to be named.
On June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick from Ahmedabad crashed into a building soon after take-off, killing 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. Out of the 242 people onboard, one passenger survived.
On July 12, the (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the fatal crash. A five-member team, headed by 56-year-old Sanjay Kumar Singh, as the investigator-in-chief, is probing the Air India aircraft crash. The other members on the probe team are Jasbir Singh Larhga as chief investigator, and Vipin Venu Varakoth, Veeraragavan K, and Vaishnav Vijayakumar as investigators.
The preliminary report further stated: “Experienced Pilots, Engineers, Aviation Medicine Specialists, Aviation Psychologists, and Flight Recorder Specialists have been taken on board as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to assist the investigation in their areas of expertise.”
Civil aviation ministry officials said the AAIB already has subject matter experts. “This is a part of the process, and no conclusions should be drawn from this,” an official said.
Ever since the preliminary report was released, pilot unions have raised concerns about the absence of a pilot on the panel and have been demanding the inclusion of one. While the Federation of India Pilots (FIP) has written to the government, the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA-I) has met the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the matter.
