'The tone of the preliminary report creates a narrative towards pilot error. This is wrong.'
'Selected conversation has been divulged. It's not as if the pilots did not speak anything else in the cockpit.'
The preliminary report of the Air India crash released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on July 12 is selective, lacks evidence and transparency, according to the Air Line Pilot's Association of India.
"The tone of the report creates a narrative towards pilot error. This has led to speculation in the media. People are making stories from sabotage to suicide and bizarre theories," says a spokesperson of ALPA-India who did not want to be identified by name for this report.
ALPA India represents Indian pilots at the Montreal-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations.
"Selected conversation has been divulged in the report. It's not as if the pilots did not speak anything else other than two short sentences in the cockpit."
ALPA-I has appealed to the DGCA, ministry of civil aviation and AAIB to be included as an observer to ensure transparency and accountability in the investigation.
The AAIB appointed team as stated in the report includes experienced pilots, engineers and aviation medicine specialists.
But ALPA-I doubts the composition of the team, particularly the lack of experienced pilots.
"DGCA has a Flight Standards Department which includes Boeing 787 pilots, trainers and instructors with thousands of hours of flying experience. Have they been taken on the investigation team?" questions the pilot who has flown both Boeing and Airbus aircraft and has 32 years of flying experience.
One of ALPA-I's major misgiving is that the cockpit voice recorder conversation contained in the preliminary report is selective.
"For example, the FDR reading gives a second by second account, but does not reveal what altitude the aircraft climbed to which is important for an investigation."
"The report says that the aircraft crashed. What time did it crash? How did it crash? Where did it crash? All these details are supposed to be given, but are not included."
ALPA-I has also criticised the wrong usage of terminologies like FADEC which stands for 'Full Authority Digital Engine Control'.
The report instead says 'Full Authority Dual Engine Control'.
Secondly, the report refers to the engines as 'Engine 1' and 'Engine 2'.
"That's an Airbus terminology, not one used by Boeing."
"The correct usage is Left Engine and Right Engine," says the pilot.
"All air accident investigations are mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Such an incoherent report doesn't put India in a very good picture internationally," he continues.
The AAIB report released late Friday night has raised more questions than answers about the AI-171 Ahmedabad-London-Gatwick crash on June 12.
260 people died -- 241 on board, 19 on the ground.
The preliminary report provides information about 'what' happened on the accident flight.
The final investigation report which will be out after about a year will reveal 'why' and 'how' the accident occurred.
"To know the 'what', the report must give a second by second account of what happened. If the investigators have more information than what has been printed, then why are they not giving it?"
"Why are they missing out certain sequence of events? The media has put the blame on to the pilot and that is what people will remember. This is very sad," says the captain.
On the FAA advisory regarding the fuel control switch locking feature, he says that the checks were not done because it was not mandatory.
"An advisory is not a directive. It is up to the operator to do it or not. After this crash, Etihad has started doing it on all its aircraft."
"Unfortunately, SOPs are written on somebody's blood."
[On July 14, 2025, the DGCA directed all airline operators to complete the inspection of the engine fuel switch locking system on Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft by July 21, 2025.}
"The report says that the fuel switch was switched off resulting in engine failure. Maybe the engines started to wind down and that is when the switch went off?"
"What is the link? What is the sequence? Which sequence was done when? How does anybody know unless they have the correct picture?" asks the captain.
"Speculation only make things worse. All we know from the preliminary report is that both engines failed and the aircraft crashed."
"It is for the AAIB to find out why it happened and we will support the investigators to find that out," says the pilot.
"The information should be correct and fact-based."
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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