Air India AI-171 Crash: Father Of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal Moves Supreme Court, Seeks Court-Monitored Probe

The 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crash in June, along with the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has moved the Supreme Court. He has sought an independent and court-monitored investigation into the incident.

In his plea, the father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal has called the official probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) biased and unduly focused on alleged pilot error. 

The lawsuit represents a major escalation of protests by the father and a pilots' union against the Indian government's handling of the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, which came soon after takeoff in the western city of Ahmedabad.

Captain Sabharwal's father also alleged that the two officials from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) who visited him had indicated that it was his son who cut the fuel to the plane’s engine soon after take-off.

This comes weeks after he criticised the government investigation. The government has denied such accusations, calling the investigation "very clean" and "very thorough".

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, killing all 241 people onboard and 19 on the ground.

Captain Sabharwal was in command of Air India flight AI171, which was headed to London. He had over 8,200 hours of flying experience and was also a Line Training Captain (LTC) — responsible for mentoring younger pilots. Colleagues and aviation officials described him as calm, professional, and highly respected in the industry.