On 12 June 2025, India witnessed one of its darkest aviation disasters when <a title="Air Indian plane crash" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/gujarat/air-india-crash-259-victims-confirmed-by-dna-tests/14852" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air India Flight</a> AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed, killing 260 people, including two senior pilots, 10 crew members, 229 passengers, and 19 people on the ground. Three months on, the tragedy has become the centre of a mounting controversy.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has formally written to the Civil Aviation Ministry, demanding a judicially led Court of Inquiry into the accident. In its 22 September letter, the FIP alleged that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has &ldquo;compromised the integrity, impartiality and legality&rdquo; of the investigation, putting India&rsquo;s aviation safety credibility at risk.
The pilots&rsquo; body accused AAIB officials of serious ethical breaches. Among the most shocking claims was an unsolicited visit to the residence of the late Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal&rsquo;s 91-year-old father, where investigators allegedly hinted at pilot error based on a &ldquo;selective cockpit voice recorder interpretation&rdquo; and &ldquo;layered voice analysis.&rdquo; The FIP argues such conduct amounts to prematurely framing a narrative of human error while diverting attention from systemic issues such as design or maintenance lapses.
Worse still, the body claims protected cockpit voice recordings were leaked to the media, fuelling what it described as &ldquo;character assassination&rdquo; of Capt. Sabharwal, a veteran with over 15,600 flight hours. The leaks, the federation noted, breached Rule 17(5) of the Aircraft Investigation Rules, which strictly forbids the release of cockpit recordings.
Drawing parallels with the 2010 Mangalore crash and the Boeing 737 MAX tragedies, where early probes misdirected blame towards pilots, the FIP warned that the current inquiry risks repeating history. It said only a judicial process&mdash;headed by a retired Supreme Court judge with independent experts in avionics, flight operations, and human factors&mdash;could restore credibility.
The federation also demanded immediate action under Rule 12 of the Aircraft Investigation Rules, calling for censure of the AAIB and an end to unauthorised commentary and media leaks. &ldquo;Accident investigations are meant to prevent future tragedies, not scapegoat individuals,&rdquo; the letter concluded.
For the families of those lost in AI 171, and for India&rsquo;s aviation sector, the credibility of this probe may prove as critical as the tragedy itself.

FIP seeks Court of Inquiry into Air India tragedy, citing flaws in AAIB probe

Pilots demand judicial probe in AI crash

FIP seeks Court of Inquiry into Air India tragedy, citing flaws in AAIB probe

September 24, 2025 | 20:08 IST