Pilots’ Federation Rejects Air India Crash Suicide Theory
NEW DELHI-The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has challenged the official findings related to the crash of Air India Flight AI 171 shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, claiming that simulator tests point to a major electrical failure rather than deliberate action by the flight crew.
Addressing a press conference, Federation of Indian Pilots President Captain C.S. Randhawa said the pilots’ body had conducted simulator tests replicating the aircraft’s weight, balance and weather conditions at the time of the crash.
According to Randhawa, the tests contradict the timeline outlined in the official interim report, which concluded that the aircraft’s fuel supply was manually cut off, leading to engine shutdown and the deployment of the ram air turbine, an emergency backup power system.
“Our simulator tests prove that a manual fuel cut-off takes a full 18 seconds to drop that backup turbine. The official timeline of four seconds is physically and technically impossible under a manual shutdown scenario,” Randhawa said.
The pilots’ federation argued that the rapid deployment of the ram air turbine indicates a major electrical failure that affected the aircraft before the engines stopped. It also cited the account of the lone survivor, who reportedly saw the cabin lights flicker and dim before the aircraft began its descent, saying the observation was consistent with its theory of a sudden power failure.
The federation further claimed that the aircraft had a history of unresolved electrical issues before the crash.
Randhawa also alleged that Captain R.S. Sandhu, whom he described as one of India’s leading Boeing 787 experts, had been sidelined from investigative testing.
“They are ignoring the input of our most experienced pilot because his knowledge would completely disprove their ‘pilot suicide’ theory. It is easier to blame dead pilots who cannot defend themselves than to confront a major mechanical or software flaw,” Randhawa alleged.
The Federation of Indian Pilots said it has submitted its simulator findings to Boeing and government aviation authorities and has called for further examination of what it described as technical discrepancies in the investigation.
The pilots’ body has also sought the reinstatement of Captain Sandhu to the investigation team and urged authorities to ensure a transparent review of the evidence before the final accident report is issued. (IANS)
