The aftermath of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which killed 265 people, including passengers, crew, and individuals on the ground, continues to be mired in controversy, with a "blame game" erupting over the cause of the tragic incident. While the official investigation is still underway, the Supreme Court has stepped in to address concerns about potential biases and premature assignment of blame.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, stated that the pilot-in-command, Sumeet Sabharwal, should not be blamed for the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash. Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, while hearing a petition filed by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the pilot's father, asserted that the crash appeared to be an accident and that no insinuations against the pilot were present in the preliminary report. The court empathized with the 91-year-old father, stating that he should not carry the burden of blame.
Pushkar Raj Sabharwal had petitioned for a court-monitored inquiry headed by a former Supreme Court judge, expressing concerns about a "fair, transparent, and technically robust" investigation. His plea emphasized that an incomplete or prejudiced inquiry, failing to identify the exact cause of the accident, could endanger future passengers and undermine aviation safety, violating Article 21 of the Constitution. He criticized the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)'s preliminary findings as "biased and incomplete," suggesting they attributed the crash to pilot error while overlooking potential technical and systemic failures. Sabharwal claimed that AAIB officials suggested his son had cut fuel to the aircraft's engines after takeoff, a claim the government has dismissed, describing the investigation as "very clean" and "very thorough".
Adding to the controversy, a Wall Street Journal article cited an unnamed Indian government source suggesting pilot error, which the Supreme Court deemed "nasty reporting only to blame India". The court clarified that the AAIB's preliminary report only referred to the conversation between the two pilots and did not assign blame. The Supreme Court read out a paragraph from the article that included the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board's July 12 preliminary report and asserted nowhere it is said that the pilot is to be blamed for the accident.
The Federation of Indian Pilots also supported the call for a fresh probe. The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and has scheduled further hearings on the matter for November 10. The court has also said that "no one in India believes it was the pilot's fault".
The ongoing blame game highlights the complexities and sensitivities surrounding air accident investigations. The need for a transparent and impartial inquiry is paramount to ensure aviation safety and prevent future tragedies.
