NEW DELHI : The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has strongly condemned a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report suggesting pilot error in the crash of the Air India flight AI171 at Ahmedabad. FIP president CS Randhawa rejected the claim, asserting that the preliminary probe by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had not blamed the pilots for the mishap.
“Nowhere in the AAIB report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to a pilot’s mistake. I condemn the article. They have misinterpreted the findings. We will pursue action against them,” Randhawa told ANI.
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The ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (56) and First Officer Clive Kunder (32), crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. The initial AAIB report had revealed that both fuel control switches moved to the ‘cut off’ position after take-off — but did not assign responsibility or suggest deliberate action.
However, the WSJ report, citing unnamed sources linked to the US investigation, alleged that black box data indicated the captain turned off the fuel switches. HT.com could not independently verify these claims.
Randhawa appealed for restraint, urging the public and media to await the final investigation report. He criticized the WSJ for drawing premature conclusions, comparing the incident to a 2019 case involving ANA NH985, where a similar malfunction shut down engines without pilot input.
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“This could be a case of Throttle Control Malfunction Accommodation (TCMA). Boeing has neither investigated the issue nor issued directives for safety checks. This demands a thorough TCMA probe,” Randhawa said.
The FIP chief also objected to the exclusion of pilots from the official investigation panel, stating, “Indian pilots are among the best globally. Yet, not a single pilot is on the crash probe committee. We demand a reconstitution of the panel to include pilots, engineers, and safety experts.”
Randhawa said he refused to comment when approached by the WSJ, accusing the American media of publishing biased reports. “They are pushing opinions not supported by the probe. We strongly condemn the WSJ report and will act against it,” he added.
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According to Reuters, Captain Sabharwal had over 15,600 flying hours, including 8,596 on Boeing 787s. Co-pilot Kunder had logged over 3,400 hours, with 1,128 hours on the Dreamliner.
The crash remains under investigation.
