Indian Pilots Slam WSJ Over Air India Crash Report, Reject Speculation of Human Error

FIP Rebukes Wall Street Journal’s Crash Coverage, Says No Evidence in Probe Points to Air India Pilot Error

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has strongly objected to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that linked pilot error to the crash of an Air India Dreamliner in Ahmedabad. The body representing Indian pilots said the claims were not supported by the official investigation so far and called for a more technically balanced inquiry into the incident.

The WSJ report, published on Wednesday, cited unnamed sources said to be familiar with early US assessments, suggesting the aircraft’s captain turned off switches that controlled fuel supply to both engines. IndustryWired.com has not independently verified the claims made in the report.

Nowhere Has Pilot Error Been Cited: FIP President

In his address to the media, FIP president Captain CS Randhawa lashed out at the article, accusing it of misrepresenting the initial findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

“Nowhere in the (probe) report has it been stated that the fuel control switch was switched off because of the pilot's error. I condemn the article. They attributed it to the pilot's error. They have not read the report correctly, and we will take action against them under FIP.”, he said.

The AAIB's preliminary report, published last week, said that the two fuel control switches were in the 'cut-off' position shortly after the plane departed from Ahmedabad. This did not determine whether the action was intentional or a mechanical fault, or assign the action to either of the two pilots.

Fuel Cut-Off Referred to, But No Finger-Pointing

A short cockpit conversation captured in the black-box tape is as follows:

“Why did you cut off fuel?” a pilot queried.

“I did not do so,” the other replied.

The report did not indicate which pilot had spoken what, and did not claim whether the cut-off was intentional or accidental.

The aircraft was flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, aged 56, and First Officer Clive Kunder, aged 32. Reuters reports that Sabharwal had clocked in 15,638 total flight hours, including 8,596 on the Boeing 787, while Kunder had 3,403 hours, of which 1,128 were as co-pilot on the same aircraft type.

This May be TCMA Case: FIP Urges Deeper Tech Probe

Captain Randhawa also called for investigators to examine a possible Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation (TCMA) problem. He compared it with a 2019 ANA flight NH985 incident in Japan, where both engines shut down during landing, despite the pilots not moving the fuel switches.

“This is a repeat of the TCMA malfunction,” Randhawa said. “Boeing has not yet taken any corrective action. They have not even sent out a directive to check this throughout the fleet.”

He was also concerned that not one pilot was included on the existing investigation committee, stating that the absence of operational experience might undermine the extent of the inquiry.

Refused To Comment To WSJ: FIP Takes Issue with Narrative

Randhawa disclosed that the Wall Street Journal had contacted him and asked for his response, but he refused.

“I did not provide my opinion to them. I am opposed to this type of reporting by some of the American media,” he told a foreign agency. “They are making their inferences, expressing opinions as fact, whereas there is no such observation in the official Indian report. I strongly denounce this policy.”

FIP Calls for Reconstitution of Crash Probe Panel

The Federation has called for the reconstitution of the investigating panel, comprising pilots, engineers, and independent air safety specialists, by the Civil Aviation Ministry.

“Indian pilots are the best trained in the world. We need a technically robust investigation, not something based on speculation or anonymous rumors,” Randhawa stated.