'Very unfortunate': SC on pilot's error leaks in Air India crash probe

On June 12, Air India flight AI171, using a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crashed into a hostel soon after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 265 people

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday said it was “unfortunate” that selective information suggesting pilot error was leaked from the preliminary inquiry reports on the Air India plane crash earlier this year, reported LiveLaw.

 

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh made this observation while hearing a plea by an aviation safety organisation, Safety Matters Foundation. The plea seeks an independent investigation into the June 12 crash, which claimed the lives of 265 people.

 

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the organisation, alleged that three members of the probe panel formed after the crash were from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), raising concerns about a possible conflict of interest.

 

“How can officers of the very organisation whose role is likely to be examined be part of the inquiry?” he asked, as quoted by LiveLaw. 

 

Bhushan said the pilot’s family had approached him with concerns over the preliminary inquiry report, which attributed the crash to a fuel cut-off and suggested pilot error. He added that several media outlets, including international ones, reported the same, reinforcing the impression of pilot fault.

 

Responding to this, Justice Kant said, “It was very unfortunate. Instead of piecemeal leaking of information, somebody should maintain confidentiality till a regular inquiry is taken to logical conclusion.” He added that such reporting was “very irresponsible.”

 

Plea to make the information public

 

The plea also sought disclosure of the aircraft’s flight data recorder to clarify the cause of the crash.

 

It alleged that the preliminary report withheld key details, including the complete output of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR), full transcripts of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) with time stamps, and the Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) data.

 

On these demands, the SC, while stressing the need to await the final crash report, noted that the matter involves issues of confidentiality as well as concerns of privacy and dignity.

 

Justice Kant added that releasing critical information may cause harm to one airline, while flight manufacturers might not be blamed.

 

“When this kind of tragedy happens, one airline would be blamed. Boeing and Airbus will not be attributed with fault, and so the entire airline is run down,” Justice Kant said, as quoted by Livelaw.

 

The bench then issued notices to the Centre and the DGCA on a plea demanding an independent probe into the crash.

 

Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for London, crashed into a hostel shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.