The Supreme Court on Monday criticised parts of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s preliminary report on the June 12 Air India crash, calling certain observations about pilot error ‘irresponsible’.
The court has now sought responses from the Union government and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a petition demanding an independent and expeditious probe.
Bench Questions Preliminary Report
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh observed that some aspects of the July 12 AAIB report hinted at lapses by the pilots, which the court found problematic at the preliminary stage of investigation.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO Safety Matters Foundation, argued that the composition of the probe panel itself raised questions of bias, as three of its members were from the aviation regulator. He submitted that this could lead to a conflict of interest, undermining public trust in the findings.
The bench, however, took a cautious stance, noting the sensitive nature of the matter. “There is an issue of confidentiality and aspects of privacy and dignity involved,” it observed, warning that selective disclosure of technical data could be misused by rival airlines.
Demand For Transparency
The plea, filed by Safety Matters Foundation led by aviation safety expert Captain Amit Singh (FRAeS), alleges that the official probe so far is opaque and violates citizens’ fundamental rights to life, equality, and access to truthful information.
The petition specifically challenges the preliminary findings, which attribute the accident to the “fuel cutoff switches” being moved from “run” to “cutoff,” effectively suggesting pilot error. According to the NGO, the report has withheld crucial evidence, including:
- Complete Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output,
- full Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts with time stamps, and
- electronic Aircraft Fault Recording data,
- These, the plea argues, are indispensable for a transparent, objective, and fact-based assessment of the crash.
Court Limits Notice To Probe Fairness
While refraining from ordering immediate release of sensitive flight data, the bench clarified that its notice is confined to ensuring a “free, fair, independent and expeditious” investigation.
The accident involved Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft (AI171), which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad while en route to London’s Gatwick airport. The aircraft struck a medical hostel complex, resulting in the deaths of 265 people, including 241 passengers and crew.
Among the victims were 169 Indians, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. The sole survivor was Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national.
The court has now issued notices to the Centre and DGCA, asking them to respond to the plea.
A final report on the crash is awaited, but the apex court’s intervention signals that questions of transparency, independence, and accountability will remain central as the probe proceeds.
(Inputs By Sambhav Sharma)
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