The father of the pilot involved in the tragic Air India flight disaster, a 91-year-old veteran, has revealed a disturbing encounter. He claims that officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited him last month, subtly suggesting his son deliberately switched off the plane’s fuel supply shortly after takeoff. This serious allegation comes from confidential correspondence seen by Reuters.
In an emotional email to the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) last week, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal recounted the August 30 visit. He stated that the AAIB representatives came to his home “under the pretext of offering condolences,” only to then insinuate that his son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, was responsible for manipulating the fuel switches.
Mr. Sabharwal’s email passionately details the encounter, asserting that the investigators “went beyond their mandate.” He claims they used “innuendos and insinuations,” citing “selective CVR (cockpit voice recorder) interpretation and a so-called ‘layered voice analysis’” to imply his son had deliberately moved the fuel control switches from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ immediately after takeoff. This powerful statement was included in his September 17 email.
Notably, even before the AAIB’s controversial visit, Mr. Sabharwal had already petitioned the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In his August 29 letter, he urged the Union government to launch an independent investigation, strongly criticizing what he perceived as the investigators’ ‘selective’ release of information, which he believed fueled damaging speculation about his son’s actions.
The incident in question is the catastrophic crash of Air India flight 171 in June. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down just moments after departing from Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of 241 of the 242 individuals on board, and tragically, 19 more people on the ground.
According to the preliminary report released by the AAIB, the aircraft’s fuel engine switches were found to have almost simultaneously moved from the ‘RUN’ to the ‘CUT-OFF’ position mere moments after the plane lifted off the runway.
When contacted, the AAIB offered no comment on Reuters’ inquiries. A Reuters journalist attempting to reach Mr. Sabharwal at his Mumbai residence on Thursday was also denied access by building security.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has strongly condemned the AAIB’s visit, confirming they have ‘taken up the matter’ directly with the Minister of Civil Aviation. Captain C.S. Randhawa, the FIP president, emphasized to Reuters, ‘In any court of law, the judge or the prosecutor does not go to the house of victims and cross-question individuals,’ highlighting the impropriety of the investigators’ actions.
Neither the Civil Aviation Ministry nor Air India responded to Reuters’ requests for comment on these developments.
‘My Son’s Dignity Must Be Preserved’
Mr. Sabharwal, drawing on his own background as a former official of India’s aviation safety regulator, reiterated his plea in the email to the pilots’ federation, seeking their unwavering support for a truly fair and transparent investigation.
The AAIB’s preliminary report from July noted a critical exchange captured by the cockpit voice recorder. It stated that one pilot was heard questioning the other about cutting off the fuel supply. The response, as per the report, was a denial from the other pilot, though the report did not specify which pilot made which statement.
However, a confidential source familiar with U.S. officials’ initial assessment of the evidence shared with Reuters in July, indicated that the cockpit recording of the pilots’ dialogue appeared to support the theory that Captain Sabharwal had indeed interrupted the fuel flow to the engines.
In his impassioned email to the pilots’ federation, Mr. Sabharwal declared, ‘My son’s dignity and the integrity of due process must be preserved.’ He vehemently labeled the investigators’ alleged remarks as ‘procedurally improper and professionally indefensible,’ underscoring his deep concern over the handling of the investigation.
In an earlier statement in July, the AAIB had called upon both the public and the media to avoid spreading ‘premature narratives,’ warning that such actions could jeopardize the integrity of their ongoing investigation.
In his heartfelt letter to the Ministry, the grieving father expressed that the rampant ‘speculation’ surrounding the crash had caused him immense personal anguish. He firmly believes that an additional government-led investigation is crucial for ‘safeguarding the truth and ensuring the safety of future passengers.’
Further intensifying the call for transparency, the Supreme Court this week requested the government to respond to a separate Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition, which also demands an independent investigation into the tragic incident.