Pilot Federation Questions AAIB Report on AI-171 Crash, Citing Bias and Incompleteness

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has raised objections to the preliminary report and public commentary surrounding the AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad. The FIP is specifically concerned about the exclusion of pilot representatives from the investigation. The pilots’ body is also disputing the manner in which the preliminary report, compiled by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), has been presented to the public. The FIP argues that the report lacks sufficient data, relying heavily on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to imply pilot error and question the flight crew’s abilities. The federation urged stakeholders, including the media, to refrain from speculation and premature conclusions. The AAIB’s preliminary report details the rapid transition of both engines to ‘cutoff,’ leading to fuel cut-off. One of the pilots is recorded in the cockpit voice recorder as denying having initiated the action. The crash of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft, AI 171, resulted in 260 fatalities.