Air India Plane Crash: Government appeals for caution, AAIB requests responsible media coverage

The government of India has issued an appeal regarding the recent Air India incident, urging the public and media to exercise caution and responsibility in reporting. They request that people await the full investigation report, allowing authorities to conduct a thorough probe and preventing the spread of misinformation. This will ensure a fair and accurate assessment of the situation.

A recent Wall Street Journal report on the Air India AI171 crash has drawn attention, suggesting that the flight's commander had undone the fuel switches. The AAIB's preliminary report has only released a single, yet bold statement: "Why did you cut it off?" and the pilot replied, "No, I did not." Given this limited information, aviation expert Sanjay Lazar said, I don't believe we can make a definitive determination.

What's striking is that the AAIB's preliminary report is being leaked in the US, raising concerns. As an independent organisation under the Indian government's purview, it's puzzling that the Wall Street Journal seems to have more information about the report than we do in India, including our parliament and the Civil Aviation Ministry.

The key highlights of the government’s appeal:

AAIB operates under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, and is tasked with meeting the requirements of the Government of India towards ICAO Annex 13. 

AAIB boasts a perfect record of investigating 92 Accidents and 111 Serious incidents since its establishment in 2012. Even today, besides investigating the ill-fated Air India's B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB, a number of other accidents and serious incidents are pending investigation. 

The VT-ANB accident has been the worst recent aviation history accident and the investigation is being done with rigor and most professionally in line with the
AAIB Rules and global procedures. 

While this type of accident has attracted public attention and surprise, however, it should be realised that this is not the moment to instill public alarm or despondency towards the safety of the Indian Aviation Industry, especially based on unsubstantiated facts.

It is important to be sensitive to the loss experienced by relatives of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft, and other deceased individuals on the ground. 

It has been brought to our attention that some segments of the international media are persistently trying to jump to conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. 

Such practices are irresponsible, particularly during the period when the investigation is still underway. 

We appeal to both the public and the media not to disseminate premature stories that have the potential to damage the integrity of the investigative process.

The reason for the AAIB investigation and interim report is to supply details of 'WHAT' happened. The interim report must be viewed in this context. 

At this stage, it is premature to arrive at any certain conclusions. The AAIB investigation is still not complete. The Final Investigation Report will be released with root causes and recommendations.

Hence, AAIB urges all concerned to wait for the publication of the Final Investigation Report after completion of the Investigation. 

AAIB will also release updates as and when necessary, which are of technical and public interest.

Also Read: Blame game on pilots? After AAIB preliminary report, experts warn against rushing to conclusions