Who Leaked AAIB Preliminary Report on Air India Plane Crash To Western Media, India's Pilots' Body Questions

New Delhi: The Airline Pilots' Association of India has questioned the leak of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's Preliminary Report on AI 171 crash to media without any responsible official signature or attribution and said that the tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias towards the pilot error adding they categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair and fact-based inquiry.

"The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair, fact-based inquiry," said Airline Pilots' Association of India after AAIB's preliminary report on AI-171 plane crash.

The Pilots' Association has further questioned the transparency in the probe of Air India plane crash saying, "The report was leaked to media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team."

The All India Pilots' Association (ALPA) in its official response on AAIB Preliminary Report on the Air India plane crash raised multiple questions:

Report Leak to Media Without Attribution

ALPA-I is concerned that the preliminary AAIB report has been shared with the media without any responsible official signature or attribution.

Lack of Transparency in Investigation

The Pilots' Body said that investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust adding  qualified, experienced personnel especially line pilots are still not being included in the investigation team.

The body also questioned reports leak to the Wall Street Journal and said, “A July 10 article in The Wall Street Journal references inadvertent movement of the fuel control switches" and asked “how such sensitive investigative details were leaked to international media.”

Serviceability Bulletin Mentioned 

The Pilots' Association further said that the report refers to a serviceability bulletin concerning the fuel control switch gates, which indicates a potential equipment malfunction.

While the bulletin exists, ALPA-I demands clarity on whether the recommendations outlined in the bulletin were implemented prior to the flight.

Presumption of Pilot Guilt

The Pilots' body said that the tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error and they categorically rejects this presumption and insists on a fair, fact-based inquiry.

The association renews its request to be included at the very least, as observers— in the investigation process to ensure transparency and accountability.