The father of the Air India pilot who died in the tragic crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad has requested the Supreme Court to order an independent investigation that takes into account causes other than pilot action, sources familiar with the matter were quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
The petition represents a major escalation of protests by the father and a pilots’ union against the government’s handling of the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade, which came soon after takeoff in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
In one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, 260 people, including 241 passengers, died after Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Seeks Probe by ex-SC Judge
The latest plea by Sabharwal seeks an investigation by a panel of aviation experts headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, comes weeks after he raised questions on the government investigation.
Earlier, in a letter to the civil aviation secretary and AAIB Director General, Pushkaraj said that selective leaks about the accident have led to speculation that Sumeet (56) was under tremendous psychological pressure and, therefore, was contemplating death.
Sabharwal said two AAIB officials who visited him had implied that his son, Sumeet Sabharwal, cut the fuel to the plane’s engine after take-off.
The government has denied such accusations, calling the investigation “very clean” and “very thorough”.
“Predominantly focus on the deceased pilots
On October 11, the father told the court the investigation team appeared to “predominantly focus on the deceased pilots … while failing to examine or eliminate other more plausible technical and procedural causes,” said one of the sources who saw his filing.
It also requested that the government investigation be closed and handed over to a new panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, which would include aviation experts, according to the two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federation of Indian Pilots against
The judges have yet to take up the case, which, according to the Supreme Court’s website, was filed jointly by the father and the Federation of Indian Pilots against the government.
The investigation team appeared to predominantly focus on the deceased pilots while failing to examine or eliminate other more plausible technical and procedural causes.
A preliminary AAIB report showed the Boeing Dreamliner’s fuel engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff.
(With inputs from Reuters)
