New Delhi, September 20: The father of one of the pilots killed in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June has asked the government to order a fresh investigation, saying preliminary findings by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) unfairly tarnish his son’s reputation.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal, 91, wrote to the civil aviation secretary and AAIB director general on Aug. 29 seeking a formal enquiry under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. The rule allows the central government to order an independent probe into an air crash if deemed necessary.
His son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, was among those killed when Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, killing all 260 people on board, including 241 passengers.
In his letter, Pushkaraj said selective leaks from the AAIB’s July 12 preliminary report had led to speculation that his son was under psychological stress and may have contemplated suicide, allegations he called “baseless” and damaging to his son’s honour.
“These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup and the reputation of Captain Sabharwal,” he wrote, adding that the preliminary findings were “deficient, diversionary and discrepant.”
The AAIB said in its initial report that fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, citing cockpit voice recordings in which one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the other responded he had not. The agency stressed it was too early to draw conclusions and urged against premature narratives until the final report.
Pushkaraj, however, argued that the report gave undue clean chits to manufacturers while casting aspersions on the crew. He dismissed suggestions that Sumeet’s divorce 15 years ago or his mother’s death three years ago had affected his mental health, noting that his son had over 25 years of flying experience, logged 15,638 hours — more than half on the 787-8 — and was a designated line training captain with a licence from India’s aviation regulator.
The civil aviation ministry and the AAIB did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
