Indian Pilots' Federation Criticizes WSJ for Misrepresenting Air India Incident

The Indian Pilots' Federation (FIP) has strongly criticized an article published in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that allegedly wrongfully blamed the captain for the Air India incident in Ahmedabad. According to the WSJ report, the accident was attributed to a pilot error related to the fuel control switch. CS Randhawa, the head of FIP, pointed out that the preliminary investigation report released last week by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) did not hold the pilots responsible for the incident.

Nowhere in the report does it state that the fuel control switch was turned off due to pilot error. I condemn the WSJ article, which claims it was the pilot's fault. They have not accurately read the report, and we will take action against them through FIP,” Randhawa stated to a news agency. He further emphasized, “Indian pilots are among the best in the world. I did not provide my opinion to The Wall Street Journal, which had contacted me, as I oppose this American media outlet. They are deliberately presenting their views in this report, despite there being no such information. Therefore, I strongly denounce this WSJ report, and we will take action regarding it.

The AAIB's preliminary report indicated that both fuel control switches were found in the cut-off position instead of the run position immediately after takeoff. The report referenced a brief but alarming exchange between the pilots, where one asked why the fuel was turned off, to which the other replied, 'I did not do that.' However, the report did not clarify which pilot made which statement, nor did it specify whether this action was intentional or accidental.