Supreme Court Questions Air India Crash Report, Demands Independent Probe

The Supreme Court has raised doubts over the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in the June 12 Air India crash. The court called parts of the report “unfortunate” and “irresponsible,” while demanding a transparent probe into the tragic incident.

1. SC Criticises Preliminary Report

A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh reviewed the AAIB’s July 12 report, which suggested pilot error as the primary cause. The court observed that such conclusions, drawn so early, could mislead the public and compromise the fairness of the investigation.

2. Pilot Error Allegations Questioned

The AAIB attributed the crash to the fuel cutoff switches being moved from ‘run’ to ‘cutoff,’ implying lapses by the pilots. The court said this assumption was premature and “unfortunate,” stressing the need for complete technical data before blaming individuals.

3. Plea Filed by Aviation Safety NGO

The petition was filed by Safety Matters Foundation, an NGO led by aviation expert Captain Amit Singh. Represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, the plea questioned the independence of the probe.

4. Conflict of Interest Concerns

The plea highlighted that three members of the panel belonged to the DGCA, raising conflict-of-interest issues, since the regulator is responsible for overseeing aviation safety in India.

5. Call to Release Flight Data Recorder

The petitioner demanded the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and other technical logs be made public to clarify the exact cause of the crash.

6. Missing Critical Information

The plea alleged that the preliminary report withheld crucial evidence, including:

• Full Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output

• Complete Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts with timestamps

• Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) data

7. SC Warns on Confidentiality

While insisting on transparency, the bench also warned against releasing sensitive data that could be exploited by rival airlines.

8. Need for Fair and Independent Probe

The court clarified that its intervention was aimed at ensuring a free, fair, and independent investigation and not interfering with the technical aspects of aviation safety.

9. Government Asked to Respond

Notices were issued to the Centre and the DGCA, seeking their response on how the investigation can be made more impartial and transparent.

10. Final Report Awaited

The Supreme Court stressed that only the final AAIB report should be considered authoritative and urged investigators to avoid premature assumptions in sensitive cases involving public trust and safety.