ALPA-I (India) Rejects AAIB’s Preliminary Investigation Report of AI Plane Crash

ALPA-I has raised serious objections. The objections are against the preliminary report regarding the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had released the initial findings of the Boeing 787 investigation post midnight today. However, ALPA-I President Sam Thomas has rejected these findings. He criticized them for not being transparent. He was particularly concerned that pilots were not included in the investigation.

Also read: AAIB Releases Preliminary Report for Ahmedabad Plane Crash Investigation

Lacks Accountability and Transparency

ALPA released their official statement regarding the AAIB report, addressed to the Press Trust of India (PTI). They flagged off the missing official signatures in the report. The report also lacked attribution to a responsible official. Their next concern was regarding transparency in the findings.

“There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team.”

Accessible to International Media, but not to Pilots

ALPA questioned why it is not opening its investigation for domestic stakeholders. They also questioned how international media is able to get hold of the details. Citing a July 10 article in “The Wall Street Journal”, ALPA questioned how the article about fuel switches was published. They were concerned about the inadvertent movement mentioned before the preliminary report was published. It questioned how sensitive details were being accessed by international media.

Biased Towards Pilot Error

The 15-page report says there is a cockpit voice recording. In it, one unidentified pilot asked the other why he had cut off the fuel. The other pilot denied cutting off the fuel. The report further indicated that pilots have to move the fuel control switches. These switches cannot move on their own. ALPA has picked up on the tone of the report and accused AAIB of a bias toward pilot error. It rejects such presumptions and has called for a truly fair, fact-based investigation. ALPA has also appealed to be included in the investigation, at least as observers.

ALPA-I is a member associate of the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Association (IFALPA).

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