The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has strongly criticised a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article that suggested pilot error in the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad.
The report, citing unnamed U.S. sources, claimed that the flight’s captain may have inadvertently turned off the fuel control switches—cutting off fuel supply to both engines.
Responding sharply to the publication, FIP President C.S. Randhawa dismissed the WSJ report as misleading and unfounded. “Nowhere in the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report does it state that the pilot made a mistake by turning off the fuel control switches. I condemn this article—it appears the authors haven’t read the official report properly. We will be taking necessary action against them through the Federation,” Randhawa told ANI.
The AAIB’s preliminary findings, released last week, revealed that both fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were moved from the ‘run’ to the ‘cut-off’ position after take-off. The ill-fated flight AI171, which crashed shortly after departing from Ahmedabad, was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, and First Officer Clive Kunder, 32.
The official report included a key cockpit exchange, where one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off fuel?”, to which the other responded, “I did not do so.” However, investigators neither identified which pilot said what, nor concluded whether the incident was a result of human error or a technical anomaly.
Despite this, the WSJ reported that U.S. officials believe cockpit voice recordings indicate the captain may have shut off the fuel supply. “These are speculative claims not supported by the Indian investigation. It is irresponsible journalism,” Randhawa added.
The AAIB continues its probe into the causes behind the crash, while the FIP and other aviation bodies have urged media outlets to refrain from assigning blame until the final report is released.
