The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has urged for a transparent judicial inquiry into the Air India AI-171 Boeing 787 crash that resulted in over 260 fatalities. FIP emphasized that pilots do not intend harm, and raised concerns about the preliminary investigation’s focus on pilot actions.
FIP President Captain C.S. Randhawa stressed the need for an independent examination of all technical, electrical, and systems-related factors before assigning blame to the flight crew. The organization has approached the Supreme Court of India seeking an impartial investigation to ensure justice for all affected by the tragedy.
Questioning the current investigative process, FIP objected to premature attributions of responsibility to the deceased pilots. The organization challenged the timeline presented in the preliminary report, citing discrepancies in simulator testing results that warrant further scrutiny by investigators.
The federation disputed suggestions that the pilots deliberately manipulated the aircraft’s fuel control switches, emphasizing the need to explore potential uncommanded technical or electrical failures. FIP highlighted concerns about previous technical issues with Boeing 787 aircraft and called for a comprehensive examination of all available crash evidence.
