DGCA summons Air India officials amid Ahmedabad-London plane crash probe

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday summoned senior officials of Air India and Air India Express amid an ongoing probe into the crash of an Ahmedabad-London plane, The Economic Times reported.

 

Key personnel summoned include Air India MD and CEO Campbell Wilson, Director of Flight Operations Captain Pankul Mathur, and Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh, among others responsible for airline operations and safety compliance. The virtual meeting will be chaired by DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the report added.

 

The virtual meeting with airline officials will be chaired by DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai.

 

Earlier in the day, an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London was also cancelled due to a technical malfunction, marking the fourth such cancellation by the airline in the past 24 hours.

 

DGCA seeks pilot training and dispatcher information

 

The DGCA has also asked Air India to provide detailed information regarding pilot training records and the dispatcher responsible for flight AI-171, Reuters reported, citing a government memo. It further asked the airline to submit details of actions taken in response to recent audits conducted by the regulator. The airline is supposed to submit the details by Monday.

 

The DGCA, through a separate memo dated June 16, also instructed all flying schools to carry out checks on training compliance, the report added.

 

Air India crash

 

On June 12, Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, following a Mayday distress call from the pilot. The incident resulted in 241 fatalities out of the 242 people on board. A total of 265 bodies were recovered, including those of people from the nearby BJ Medical College Hostel, which was affected by the crash.

 

One passenger, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the accident. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun its probe and recovered the aircraft’s black box from the crash site. In response to the tragedy, the Tata Group announced a compensation of ₹1 crore for the family of each deceased passenger.