What We Know So Far About the Air India Plane Crash: Insights from IFALPA

Preliminary Findings Raise Questions

New Delhi: The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) has expressed concerns regarding the preliminary report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on the Air India plane crash. The report, released on June 12, which resulted in the tragic loss of 260 lives, has raised numerous questions without providing clear answers, prompting IFALPA to call for caution against speculation.

The AAIB's initial findings indicate that the fuel switches for the engines were turned off within one second after takeoff, leading to confusion in the cockpit before the aircraft crashed into a building. The flight, AI 171, was traveling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.

According to the cockpit voice recordings cited in the 15-page report, one pilot questioned the fuel switch being turned off, while the other denied having done so.

Although the report does not draw any conclusions, there are speculations suggesting that pilot error might have contributed to the incident.

IFALPA stated on July 14, "This preliminary report raises many questions but fails to provide answers. Any assumptions drawn from its content should be viewed as mere guesswork, which is unhelpful to the investigation's integrity."

The federation emphasized that no safety recommendations are available at this stage and reaffirmed its commitment to assisting the AAIB in identifying the factors leading to the accident.

IFALPA represents around 100,000 pilots globally.

On the same day, the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA), affiliated with IFALPA, criticized the investigation's tone, suggesting a bias towards attributing blame to pilot error, and called for an impartial, fact-based inquiry.

In its statement, IFALPA reiterated that preliminary reports serve as a communication tool to share initial findings and do not contain conclusions, urging all parties to avoid speculation and allow the investigation to proceed thoroughly.

The organization stressed the importance of professionalism for the victims and their families during this ongoing investigation.

Both pilot associations in Air India, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), have also cautioned against jumping to conclusions based on the preliminary findings.