The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) have strongly refuted allegations that a pilot deliberately disabled fuel control switches aboard Air India flight AI171 to crash the airplane in an attempted suicide-murder.
ICPA and ALPA India issued statements on Sunday after the initial investigation report revealed that fuel control switches to the engines of Flight AI171 had been moved from the “run” to the “cutoff” position moments before the deadly incident.
The report has sparked speculation that one of the two pilots, either deliberately or inadvertently, may have caused the airplane to crash soon after takeoff.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) issued the report on the crash on Saturday. The report did not offer any conclusions or assign blame for the disaster, but stated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. The report did not reveal any more details about the two pilots’ dialogue.
According to the report, after the switches were flipped, the airplane immediately began to lose altitude and thrust.
The ICPA said it was “deeply disturbed by speculative narratives … particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide.”
“To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession,” it added.
ALPA India accused AAIB of “secrecy” surrounding the investigation and emphasized that “suitably qualified personnel” were not involved in it.
Meanwhile, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the investigation into the June crash is far from over and it is unwise to jump to any premature conclusions.
Flight AI171 was headed from Ahmedabad Airport in the western Indian state of Gujarat to London’s Gatwick Airport when it crashed on June 12.
The flight was carrying 242 people, 230 passengers, two pilots, and 10 crew members. Only one person, sitting in an emergency exit seat, survived the crash.
Another 18 people were killed on the ground as the aircraft fell on a medical college and hostel for students and resident doctors of the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.