Indian pilots demand further probe of Air India crash

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An Indian pilot group has submitted a letter to the aviation ministry suggesting that electrical failure, and not pilot action, could have caused the deadly Air India crash last year.

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The submission by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 5,000 members, comes ahead of the expected final report into the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed 260 people shortly after takeoff on June 12, 2025.

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As required by international law, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) published a preliminary report on July 12, one month after the disaster, when the plane exploded into flames shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India.

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That 15-page document said the fuel supply to the jet’s engines was cut off moments before impact, raising questions about possible pilot error.

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It did not mention whether the turning off of the fuel switches could have been caused by pilot manoeuvre, or by any kind of malfunction.

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The FIP letter, dated May 1 and seen by AFP, offers what it called a “technical note” that “suggests a credible cause” requiring further investigation.

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“A prelift-off electrical disturbance could have caused unintended relay operation and dual engine fuel cut-off without pilot input”, it reads.

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“Media reports…continue to suggest pilot action,” it adds.

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“However, the International Civil Aviation Organisation… requires all credible technical causes be ruled out first.”

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The final report is expected by next month, within a year of the crash.

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“It is submitted that this may be treated as a testable hypothesis and examined through detailed electrical analysis… Technical causes cannot be ruled out till this analysis is made,” it argues.

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AFP

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