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Air India crash reporting is ‘premature', says US probe agency
Air India crash reporting is ‘premature', says US probe agency

The Star

time9 hours ago

  • General
  • The Star

Air India crash reporting is ‘premature', says US probe agency

The head of the US National Transpor­tation Safety Board said it's too soon to draw conclusions about what caused the deadly crash of an Air India jetliner following reports that the captain of the plane likely moved switches that control the flow of fuel to the engines. 'Investigations of this magnitude take time,' NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said Friday in a post to social media platform X. She called recent media reports 'premature and speculative,' without providing any specifics on what exactly she was referring to. Investigators, led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with the assistance of the NTSB, have been piecing together evidence to determine what caused Air India Flight 171 to crash on June 12, killing 260 people. AAIB and Air India chief executive officer Campbell Wilson have also urged the public not to draw conclusions while the probe is ongoing. It can take a year – sometimes longer – for authorities to release a final report laying out the probable cause of an accident and recommendations for avoiding future tragedies. A preliminary report released by the AAIB found two fuel control switches on the Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner were moved to a 'cutoff' position immediately after the aircraft lifted off, starving the engines of fuel. While the move was reversed about 10 seconds later, it was too late to avert the crash. A cockpit voice recording from the aircraft revealed that one pilot – since identified as First Officer Clive Kunder – asked the other, Captain Sumeet Sabhar­wal, why he moved the switches, to which the latter replied he didn't. How and why the switches came to be turned off are the key lines of inquiry for investigators. Officials are probing whether it could be the result of human action – deliberate or inadvertent – or a failure of the plane's systems. Following the release of AAIB's preliminary report, India's civil aviation authority ordered an inspection of fuel switches on Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft operating in the country in an effort to ascertain whether the crash was caused by equipment failure. Investigators at this point ­haven't identified any mechanical or design issues with the Boeing plane or the engines. — Bloomberg

Air India plane crash: NTSB slams media reports on AI-171 crash investigation; says ‘premature and speculative'
Air India plane crash: NTSB slams media reports on AI-171 crash investigation; says ‘premature and speculative'

Mint

time21 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Mint

Air India plane crash: NTSB slams media reports on AI-171 crash investigation; says ‘premature and speculative'

Air India Plane crash: The US federal agency, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), responsible for the investigation of aviation accidents and significant transportation events in the country, on Friday (local time) issued a strong rebuke of recent media coverage made over the preliminary investigative report on the aftermath of the ill-fated Air India 171 crash that claimed 260 lives in Gujarat's Ahmedabad last month. Calling the media reports "premature and speculative", the NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, in a statement, urged the public and media to await official findings by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the crash incident, before drawing a conclusion based on the preliminary investigative report. "Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB's public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," Homendy stated. This came following AAIB's public appeal issued on Thursday noting a strong appeal to the public and media, raising concerns about "selective and unverified reporting" by certain international outlets in the aftermath of the crash. The AAIB, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, reaffirmed that the investigation into the Air India crash is being conducted in a "rigorous and most professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols." The Bureau cautioned that the high-profile nature of the tragedy has "drawn public attention and shock," but emphasised, "it needs to be appreciated that this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards the safety of the Indian Aviation Industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts." The appeal came amid heightened global scrutiny following reports in international media. A Wall Street Journal report, cited by Reuters, suggests that cockpit voice recordings indicate the captain may have turned off the fuel control switches shortly after takeoff, which prompted confusion and panic in the cockpit. AAIB cautioned against drawing premature conclusions or circulating unverified information, particularly by sections of the international media, which they said risked undermining the integrity of the investigation. "It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on the ground. It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing. We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process," the letter read. The Bureau reiterated that the objective of its investigation and preliminary report is to state "WHAT happened". It clarified that at this stage, "it is too early to reach any definite conclusions," and the final report will be published only after the investigation is complete, including the identification of "root causes and recommendations". The purpose of the AAIB's investigation and preliminary report is to provide information about 'WHAT' happened. The preliminary report must be viewed in this light. At this stage, it is too early to reach any definite conclusions. The AAIB investigation is still ongoing. The Final Investigation Report will come out with root causes and recommendations, the letter read.

India's top pilot body issues legal notice to WSJ, Reuters over AI-171 crash coverage, seeks apology
India's top pilot body issues legal notice to WSJ, Reuters over AI-171 crash coverage, seeks apology

First Post

timea day ago

  • First Post

India's top pilot body issues legal notice to WSJ, Reuters over AI-171 crash coverage, seeks apology

Federation of Indian Pilots President Captain CS Randhawa criticised the Western media reports for lacking a basis in the facts outlined in the preliminary report released by AAIB read more Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India. AP The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has sent a stern legal notice to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters, accusing the global media giants of publishing misleading and speculative stories about the Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed over 250 people last month. FIP President Captain CS Randhawa criticised the reports for lacking a basis in the facts outlined in the preliminary report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'They are not the investigative body, so how can they jump to conclusions?' Randhawa was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI. 'They're spreading all this around the world that's not even in the report. It's totally misleading.' The Western media outlets suggested that the crash might have resulted from errors or actions by the cockpit crew, claims the FIP says were entirely absent from the AAIB's findings. FIP seeks apology from media giants The FIP's notice demands a public explanation and a formal apology from the news organisations, pressing them to justify their reporting. 'We've asked them to explain how they arrived at conclusions that aren't in the preliminary report. If they fail to do that, we'll consider further legal action,' Randhawa stated. The uproar led to a response from Jennifer Homendy, Chairwoman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is assisting the AAIB in the investigation. Homendy labelled the media coverage 'premature and speculative,' stressing that it was inappropriate to draw conclusions while the investigation is ongoing. 'Investigations of this magnitude take time… All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB,' she said in her official statement. Randhawa praised the NTSB's stance, calling it a vital endorsement of the professionalism of Indian pilots and a sharp rebuke to reckless reporting. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It's heartening that the NTSB issued this statement. It puts to rest all the blame being unfairly placed on Indian pilots,' he said. India's AAIB recently issued a preliminary report on the AI-171 crash but stopped short of assigning blame or reaching final conclusions. The full investigation is still in progress, with such probes typically taking months to complete. The AAIB also made a public plea, urging the media and the public to avoid speculation and allow investigators to conduct their work thoroughly.

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