Ahmedabad Air India crash: Probe bureau chief to meet aviation secy after pilot's father slams inquiry
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's father had slammed the crash report of the Air India flight 171.
The chief of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau G V G Yugandhar will meet the civil aviation secretary on Wednesday, according to sources.
This comes hours after the father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, in a letter to the secretary of civil aviation ministry and the head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, slammed the crash report of Air India flight 171.
Sumeet Sabharwal was one of the two pilots on AI171, which crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
The pilot's 91-year-old father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, urged the government to order a formal inquiry into the accident. He further alleged that selective leaks from the preliminary investigation had also led to his son's reputation being unfairly tarnished.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal, stated that the inquiry at present had only been limited to Rule 9 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. He called on the authorities to invoke Rule 12, which provides for a formal court-like investigation with independent assessors.
Criticising reports blaming the pilots, Pushkaraj Sabharwal said, “.The reasons attributed in such reporting suggest that as Captain Sabharwal was divorced, it had caused him anxiety and depression. It even ignores the fact that Captain Sabharwal was divorced about 15 years ago.”
He added that the other speculation, which suggested that Captain Sabharwal had been affected by his mother's death, was also untrue. “His mother died more than three years ago. After that, Captain Sabharwal had operated more than 100 flights without any incident or accident,” the pilot's father said.
The preliminary report, which was released around 1. 30 am IST on July 13, seemed to clear aircraft manufacturer Boeing and engine maker GE of any technical fault. The report found that fuel switches of both engines had moved to off position following take-off.
The probe also highlighted a conversation between both pilots, wherein one had asked the other why he moved the switches to off position. It was later revealed that the co-pilot Clive Kunder had asked the question to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal.
