The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has taken legal action against two prominent US media outlets, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, over their coverage of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The FIP has sent legal notices to both organizations, accusing them of publishing reports that were not based on facts and highlighting the preliminary report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in a misleading manner.
The Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was en route from Ahmedabad to London when it crashed shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all 260 people on board. Following the tragedy, the AAIB launched an investigation, and a preliminary report was issued. However, before the investigation could reach any definitive conclusions, some US-based publications released reports suggesting that the actions of one of the pilots were the likely cause of the crash.
According to news agency ANI, the preliminary report by the AAIB revealed that both fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flipped from “Run” to “Cutoff” shortly after takeoff. Cockpit voice recordings indicated that one pilot questioned why the fuel had been cut off, while the other pilot denied having done it. The AAIB report did not specify who toggled the switches or assign blame for the incident.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources "familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence," published a report suggesting that the captain deliberately turned off the fuel switches. A subsequent Reuters story echoed this assertion, implying that the captain was at fault.
These reports have drawn strong criticism from the FIP, which alleges that they are "baseless" and "defamatory". The FIP argues that the reports are speculative and have caused harm to the reputations of the deceased pilots, as well as distress to their families. FIP President Captain CS Randhawa stated that the news reports were “misleading” and factually incorrect. He also criticized the Wall Street Journal for "misleading the public" and drawing its own conclusions without being an investigative body.
The legal notices sent by the FIP demand a full apology and correction from both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. The FIP is also seeking a retraction of the articles in question and a commitment from both outlets to refrain from publishing further speculative content about the crash. The legal notice asks them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports. The notice further cautions that failure to comply with these demands may result in further legal action for defamation, mental anguish, and reputational harm.
The AAIB has also expressed its concern over the media reports, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing and too preliminary to draw definitive conclusions. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also weighed in, with Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy calling the recent media reports "premature" and "speculative". Homendy urged the public and media to await the official findings of the AAIB before drawing any conclusions based on the preliminary report. The NTSB has expressed its support for the AAIB's investigation and has called for all investigative questions to be addressed to the AAIB.
Multiple pilot associations, including the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA-I), have joined the call for restraint and cautioned against speculative media narratives. These associations have warned that such narratives could damage public trust in India's aviation system.
