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AI171 pilot’s father slams crash probe
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's father demands a formal inquiry into AI 171 crash, claiming selective leaks harmed his son's reputation amid unfounded speculation.
New Delhi: The 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the two pilots of Air India Flight AI 171 that crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, has urged the government to order a formal inquiry into the accident, alleging that selective leaks from the preliminary investigation have unfairly tarnished his son’s reputation.
In a letter to the secretary of civil aviation ministry and the head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Pushkaraj Sabharwal said that the investigation so far has been limited to a preliminary inquiry under Rule 9 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. He called upon authorities to invoke Rule 12, which provides for a formal court-like investigation with independent assessors.
He added that “selective leaks” have fuelled false speculation about his son’s mental state, tarnishing his reputation despite an unblemished 25-year flying career.
The preliminary report, releasedaround 1.30am IST on July 13, appeared to clear both the aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the engine maker GE of any technical lapse, said that the fuel switches of both engines moved to off position after take-off (resulting in the crash), and reproduced a fragment of the conversation between the two pilots with one asking the other why he had moved the switches to off position, and the other responding that he had not. It later turned out that co-pilot Clive Kunder was the one who asked the question of Captain Sabharwal. . Several media reports since have blamed the pilots and attributed various motives to them.
“..The reasons attributed in such reporting suggest that as Captain Sabharwal was divorced, it had caused him anxiety and depression. It even ignores the fact that Captain Sabharwal was divorced about 15 years ago. The other speculation relating to the cause for Captain Sabharwal being desirous of committing suicide has been his mother’s death. His mother died more than three years ago. After that, Captain Sabharwal had operated more than 100 flights without any incident or accident,” Sabharwal wrote in his letter.
He added that in over 25 years of flying, Captain Sabharwal had not had a single incident or accident-causing fatalities or otherwise.
“..The absence of a formal enquiry conducted in accordance with Rule 12 coupled with the selective information being provided to the media is very disturbing/ detrimental to me and affects my fundamental rights, including the right to reputation of my deceased son,” he added.
Raising questions on the preliminary report , the father said that the rules state that the purpose of the AAIB’s investigation and preliminary report is to provide the information about what happened. “..The preliminary report on the contrary does not allude to the ‘what happened or the bare facts of the crash, instead resorting to insinuations on the one hand and offering copious clean chits to the manufacturer/s on the other. The report in its present form is deficient, diversionary and discrepant.”
He alleged that details from the cockpit voice recorder were selectively released into the public domain, leading to speculation in the media that the pilot was under severe psychological strain or contemplating suicide. “These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and tarnished Captain Sabharwal’s reputation,” he said
Calling for transparency, the letter requested that an independent investigation panel be constituted, comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, aeronautical and engineering experts, and a representative of Air India’s pilot body or his nominee. He stressed that the inquiry should not only examine pilot conduct but also manufacturing, maintenance, and environmental factors.
The father also asked the government to issue a clarification that the preliminary report was not meant to assign blame but only to identify preventive measures. “.. I further call upon you to issue a formal press release clarifying to the public at large that the preliminary investigation which was conducted under Rule 9 is not, and was not, with the object of affixing any responsibility but merely with the sole objective of prevention of accidents and incidents in future. That no comments have been made in the report with regard to the pilot Captain Sabharwal, i.e my son and that any reports in the media are merely speculation”.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick service, crashed within minutes of departure, killing more than 241 people of the 242 on board besides 19 on ground in one of the deadliest air crashes in India in more than three decades. Those killed onboard include 229 passengers, 10 cabin crew and the two pilots.
The letter noted that Captain Sabharwal had logged over 15,600 flying hours, including 8,596 on the Boeing 787, and had not been involved in any incident or accident in his career. He was also empanelled as a pilot trainer and approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Sabharwal also drew a comparison with earlier crashes of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines, where software flaws were initially overlooked until a US Congressional inquiry exposed them. “It took the second fatal crash of the Ethiopian for the true facts to emerge,” the letter said, pointing out that Boeing had only recently reached a $1.1 billion settlement with the US Department of Justice in connection with those cases.
The final report into the AI 171 crash is expected later this year.
