'No dirty-business happening': Aviation minister on Air India crash probe
What's the story
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu has said that there is "no manipulation or dirty business" happening in the investigation into the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people on June 12. The clarification comes after the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) called for a judicial inquiry into the crash of Air India Flight AI 171 last month. The pilots' body had accused the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of compromising the investigation's integrity.
Accusations detailed
'Leaked protected CVR information'
In a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, dated September 22, FIP alleged that AAIB's actions "moved beyond mere procedural irregularity into the realm of manifest bias and unlawful action." The FIP also accused the AAIB of leaking protected cockpit voice recorder (CVR) information. They claim the leaked details have allegedly led to a "character assassination" of Captain Sabharwal, a decorated pilot with over 15,000 hours of safe flying experience.
Judicial inquiry
FIP calls for court of inquiry
The FIP stressed that under Rule 3 of the 2017 Rules, "The sole objective of the investigation shall be prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.' The AAIB's actions are in direct contravention of this mandate." The conduct, the FIP says, also "contravenes the spirit and letter of ICAO Annex 13, which obligates member states to conduct independent and impartial investigations. A flawed domestic probe compromises India's standing in the global aviation community."
AAIB
What AAIB report said
On July 12, the AAIB issued its preliminary report, which attributed the crash to "fuel cutoff switches" being switched from "run" to "cutoff," suggesting a pilot error. "The aircraft achieved the maximum recorded airspeed of 180 Knots IAS at about 08:08:42 UTC, and immediately thereafter, the Engine 1 and Engine 2 fuel cutoff switches transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec," the preliminary report stated.
Minister
Wait till the final report: Naidu
Commenting on the AAIB's preliminary report, Naidu said the investigation was "transparent, independent, and not influenced by anyone." "As far as the AAIB is concerned, it is the mandated authority to look into aircraft accidents. It follows a very thorough, transparent and independent approach....just considering the facts," he told India Today. That being said, he urged patience because the preliminary report is not final. "To find a consensus on what exactly happened, we have to wait," he added.