Pilot body discourages “hasty conclusions” on Air India crash report
PM visits a crash site of the AI-171 flight that met with an accident at Ahmedabad, in Gujarat on June 13, 2025.
Following a gruesome Air India plane crash in June, which killed all 241 on board and 19 people on the ground, speculations blaming the Pilots have surged online.Â
In response, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Association, or IFALPA, has warned against imputations by the public and media on the preliminary investigation report into the crash, according to The Hindustan Times on June 15th.Â
On June 12th, an Air India Boeing 787-8, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff, with no survivors. The preliminary AAIB report, released a month later on July 12th, said that both engine fuel switches had moved from “RUN” to “CUTOFF” within one second during takeoff.
Cockpit voice recordings of the doomed flight revealed that one pilot asked the other why the engines’ fuel switches had been cut off, with the second pilot denying doing so. While the move was reversed about 10 seconds later, it was too late to avert the crash.
In a statement released on July 14th, the IFALPA emphasised that the report only contains initial findings and does not offer a certain cause for the crash. The Federation of Aircraft Pilots Trade Unions also warned against “hasty conclusions” that are circulated by the media and on social media.Â
“A Preliminary Report is merely the means of communication used for the prompt dissemination of data obtained during the early stages of the investigation and only contains factual information and an indication of the progress of the investigation,” the statement said.
The federation noted the report raises “many questions” but “does not provide answers,” and cautioned that any “extrapolation of its content” is speculative and unhelpful to the investigation.Â
IFALPA also pointed out that no safety recommendations have been made at this stage and gave support for the ongoing work of India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Several pilot associations, including the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), have condemned unfounded speculation made in the media and social media about the role of the pilots and crew, labelling the accusations a “gross violation” and “disservice to the profession.”
The Hindustan Times, Maghrebi.org
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