Pilots welfare group meets government agency probing AI 171 crash

A not-for-profit for pilots’ welfare pressing for an observer status in the probe into the Air India 171 Ahmedabad crash that killed 260 people held its first meeting with the government’s air accidents investigation body on Friday (October 3, 2025).

Airline Pilot’s Association (ALPA)-India president Captain Sam Thomas met Director General of Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) G.V.G. Yugandhar and Director General of Civil Aviation chief Faiz Kidwai.

During the meeting, ALPA was conveyed that the Act under which the AAIB is formed does not allow for any non-government body to be part of accident investigations.

“Nothing about AI 171 was discussed as this is a subject of an ongoing inquiry. But we have been assured that there will be quarterly meetings with us,” Captain Sam Thomas said after the meeting.

Also Read | The preliminary report on the AI 171 crash is notably brief and lacking in technical transparency, says aviation expert

ALPA has rejected the “tone and tenor” of the interim probe report on the Air India Boeing 787 crash for suggesting a “bias” towards pilot error after the report seemed to focus on the shifting of fuel switches to ‘cut off’ position. It claimed that the investigation was “shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust”, and has demanded an observer status in the investigation to ensure transparency and accountability.

Last week, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who piloted the ill-fated Air India flight AI 171, strongly criticised the preliminary crash probe report for “insinuating” that his son deliberately turned off the plane’s fuel control switches shortly after takeoff, leading to the crash. He condemned this suggestion as based on selective and speculative interpretations of cockpit voice recorder data and demanded that an additional investigation be opened.

Last month, in response to a PIL petition by aviation safety expert and founder of NGO Safety Matters Captain Amit Singh, the Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for “ensuring a fair, impartial and expeditious investigation by an expert body”, but refused to direct disclosure of the entire investigation record and emphasised that confidentiality must be maintained until the probe is concluded.