Two of India’s major commercial pilots' associations have firmly rejected suggestions that human error led to the Air India crash that killed 260 people, following the preliminary investigation report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The report, made public on Saturday, confirmed that the aircraft’s engine fuel switches had been inexplicably turned off shortly after takeoff but stopped short of assigning blame or drawing conclusions about the cause.
The cockpit voice recorder documented a brief exchange in which one pilot questioned the other about the fuel cut-off, and the second pilot denied having done so. Beyond this, no further details of the cockpit conversation were disclosed, leaving key aspects of what happened still unclear. According to the AAIB, both engines shut down almost simultaneously, and despite efforts to restart them, the plane crashed less than a minute after departing from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, along with 19 people on the ground.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) voiced deep concern over what it called “speculative narratives,” particularly criticising the “reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide.” In a statement, the ICPA stressed, “There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage,” describing such speculation as both unethical and insensitive to the families of the victims.
Similarly, the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) criticised what it sees as a lack of transparency in the investigation and objected to a perceived presumption of pilot guilt. ALPA India’s president, Sam Thomas, said, “We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots and we strongly object to this line of thought.” The association has called for more openness in the process and requested permission to participate as observers in the investigation.
The AAIB’s preliminary findings have therefore triggered debate, with pilot groups demanding a comprehensive and unbiased inquiry and cautioning against premature conclusions that blame the crew. The reason for the dual engine shutdown remains undetermined, and further forensic analysis is still awaited.