Fast probe required: Crash investigation should be quick and credible

It should be noted that Air India itself, while troubled on several dimensions, has not had a major fatality due to a crash (as distinct from terrorist action) since Boeing 707 crash-landed in Mumbai

The tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 shortly after it took off from Ahmedabad has brought attention back to the airline, the regulators, and the broader state of civil aviation in India. Very little is known for certain about what caused the aircraft’s failure to achieve the required thrust and the eventual crash into a medical hostel 2 km from the runway. It would be wise to wait for the crash-investigation report rather than indulging in speculation.  It is also important that this investigation be transparently conducted by the relevant authorities and its report released in a timely fashion. The nodal agency for this investigation will be the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is a branch of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. India set up a separate investigation agency in 2012; the only major investigation it has conducted so far is the probe of Air India Express Flight 1344’s crash while landing at Kozhikode Airport in 2020. Most investigations worldwide are carried out with the assistance of global experts, often including assistance from the country where the flight was heading. In this case, given the plane was due to land at Gatwick Airport in London, and that more than 50 of those on board were British citizens, the AAIB’s counterpart in the United Kingdom has already deputed four people to assist. Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft in question, has also sent personnel.

  The very fact that this is only the second large-scale crash that requires investigation by the AAIB is a testimony to how much safer flying has become in India, even as the aviation market in the country has consistently been the fastest-growing in the world. The 1970s and 1980s saw a spate of crashes and other incidents, including terrorist attacks on Indian aviation. But the 21st century has seen, simultaneously, a proliferation of private airlines, vast growth in passenger numbers, and a sharp reduction in the number of high-profile incidents and fatalities. The good reputation of Indian aviation has been hard-earned, and will be maintained only if the investigation into this crash is swift and credible, and that any recommendations to the airlines and authorities are accepted and speedily implemented. 

It should be noted that Air India itself, while troubled on several dimensions, has not had a major fatality due to a crash (as distinct from terrorist action) since a Boeing 707 crash-landed in Mumbai in 1982. This record compares favourably with many of its global rivals. But its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, has done considerably worse. Meanwhile, in 30 years of private civil aviation in India, the major private-sector airlines have never suffered a major crash. Questions can and will be asked about whether in the internal restructuring of Air India’s operations since privatisation, safety has been retained as the top priority. These questions will hopefully be answered by the investigation, and so it is in the airline’s interests to cooperate fully.  After some incidents in other countries — such as EgyptAir Flight 804 in 2016 — investigations suffered delays, disputes, and restrictions that might have been political in nature. India cannot afford such problems with this probe. The government has set the ambitious target of doubling domestic traffic by 2030, alongside 50 more airports. For these ambitions to be achieved, safety procedures must be paramount, and be seen to be paramount. The AAIB’s work will, therefore, be carefully scrutinised, and it must produce a comprehensive and accurate report as quickly as possible.