Air India families 'need answers' with sabotage 'not ruled out'
Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol said investigators are looking into every single explanation for what caused Flight 171 to crash on June 12, killing 240 passengers instantly.
'It's never happened before that both engines have shut off together,' he told news channel NDTV.
'The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has begun a full investigation into it … it is being probed from all angles, including any possible sabotage. The CCTV footage is being reviewed and all angles are being assessed.'
But questions are being raised about the lack of information released from authorities, nearing a month on from the tragic crash.
Aviation consultant Bernard Lavelle told Metro that questions around the Air India investigation have focused on the black boxes – analysis began just days ago, despite the boxes being found 2 weeks ago.
'They sat there for a week, with no data download, which is unusual given they said the investigation would be fully transparent,' he said.
Normally, authorities also host daily media conferences during the first week period for updates, which has not been done, and created a dangerous information vacuum for conspiracy theories, he added.
When Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared in March 2014, officials held daily conferences for weeks.
'There have been wild rumours about the crash causes, most of which are all nonsense because they haven't come from official channels. But because investigators haven't been telling people what's happening, it's created an information vacuum which people then fill with nonsense,' he said.
Mr Lavelle told Metro that the authorities' mentioning that they wouldn't rule out sabotage is likely a direct response to questions asked about the reasons behind the flight.
But the delay in analysing the black boxes has raised two major concerns, Mr Lavelle said, both human and technical.
'Families and friends of those who died want to know what happened, and they aren't getting that information,' he added.
Though there are no indications of a technical issue with the Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Mr Lavelle says the public needs an indication as to what the faults were in this crash, to see if any technical faults could develop on other aircraft.
Analysis of the raw data from the black boxes could take some time. The UN recommends that countries publish a preliminary report within 30 days of the incident.
Its guidance states that the final report should be made available in the 'shortest possible time', ideally within a year.
Days ago, Air India was forced to apologise after leaked footage showed the bosses of one of its joint ventures partying just days after the air disaster. More Trending
Viral footage showed executives of Air India SATS (AISATS), the airline's cargo and ground handling arm, dancing to blaring music.
The clip was believed to have been filmed at the company's offices in Gurugam, near Delhi on June 20.
AISATS said in a statement: 'AISATS is aware of a video being circulated on social media that unfortunately is completely out of context.
'Notwithstanding, we sincerely regret any emotional discomfort this may have caused.'
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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