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Minister reacts after Air India crash probe report: 'Don't jump to conclusions… We have most wonderful pilots'
Underlines that the probe report on the June 12 India plane crash in Ahmedabad that came out on Saturday carries only preliminary findings
Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has stressed that the probe report on the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad carries only preliminary findings. “I don't think we should jump to any conclusions over this,” he told reporters in Visakhapatnam, when asked about the report that came out on Saturday.
He said the probe team has done a commendable job: “We are coordinating with AIBB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) for any support they need. We are hoping that the final report comes out soon so that we can arrive at some conclusion.”
He added, “I truly believe we have the most wonderful workforce in terms of pilots and the crew in the whole world.”
Earlier in the day, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) said the probe was “being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots”. Alleging that “suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations”, the ALPA further requested for it to be given a role in the probe, if only as observers, "to provide the requisite transparency”.
Also read | Final moments before Air India flight 171 crashed, a blow-by-blow account
The cabinet minister, meanwhile, said the probe was “mature and transparent” with international protocols having been followed. He said it was the first probe of its kind being done entirely in India.
In a similar response, Murlidhar Mohol, the minister of state (MoS) for civil aviation, said, “It will not be right to say something concrete on the basis of a preliminary report. The AAIB is an autonomous body and is doing good work.”
The preliminary report says both engine fuel switches “transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec”
But it does not determine what caused the fuel switches to move — human action, mechanical failure, or electronic malfunction. That critical question remains unanswered and is the focus of the ongoing investigation.
