‘No Manipulation or Dirty Business in Air India Crash Probe,’ Says Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu News24 –
K Rammohan Naidu, the Minister of Civil Aviation, stated that there is “no manipulation or dirty business” occurring in the investigation into the Air India plane crash which killed 260 people on June 12. His comments come in response to worries expressed in some quarters toward the investigation of the crash on the part of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Naidu added that you have to wait for the final report of the AAIB to know what actually happened. “There is no manipulation, or there is no dirty business, happening in the investigation. It is a very clean and very thorough process that we are doing according to the rules…,” he said.
The minister also said it will take some time for the final AAIB report into the crash and added, “We don’t want to pressure them into coming up with some history report”. He was speaking on the sidelines of a book launch function in the national capital.
In one of India`s most deadly plane crashes, all 260 people, including 241 passengers, were killed on Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 bound for London Gatwick, which crashed shortly after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
The AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) in their preliminary report on July 12, stated that both engines of the aircraft lost fuel supply within a second of each other, resulting in confusion in the cockpit shortly after take off.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” it had said. On September 22, the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) urged the government to order a judicial probe into the Air India Dreamliner crash, alleging that the ongoing investigation is “compromised” and should be halted.
On August 29, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots of the ill-fated Air India Dreamliner, called for a ‘formal investigation’ by the central government.
In a letter addressed to the civil aviation secretary and the AAIB Director General, 91-year-old Pushkaraj wrote that selective leaks about the crash have led to speculation that Sumeet (56) was under extreme psychological duress and was therefore contemplating committing suicide.
“These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup, and the reputation of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They tarnish Captain Sabharwal’s reputation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed to a citizen of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” he had said in the letter.
Pushkaraj has requested the central government to initiate a formal investigation into the incident under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
On September 22, the Supreme Court deemed it “unfortunate and irresponsible” that the preliminary report from the investigation regarding the Air India incident on June 12, outlining pilot errors, was published in a selective manner ensuring the establishment of a “media narrative.”
At the same time, Naidu, on Tuesday, launched the book, ‘Above And Beyond – Exploring the Amazing World of Aviation’ by Shiv Kumar Mohanka, DIG, CISF and Chief Airport Security Officer, ASG (Aviation Security Group) Hyderabad.