Air India has grounded three Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners for thorough investigations following a tragic crash that resulted in the loss of 241 lives earlier this year. The incident occurred on June 12 in Ahmedabad, where 241 out of 242 individuals onboard perished upon impact. This decision to suspend the three most recent Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners follows four significant in-flight incidents.
In a recent development, the Supreme Court of India indicated that the pilot of the crashed Air India flight should not be held accountable. The court stated that the initial investigation report does not implicate the captain, but they will review a request from the pilot’s father for an independent inquiry.
The fatal crash of Air India Flight 171 bound for London Gatwick occurred in Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of 241 passengers onboard and an additional 19 individuals on the ground. The lone survivor, Briton Viswashkumar Ramesh, expressed deep emotional distress following the traumatic event. Mr. Ramesh disclosed that the experience had left him emotionally shattered.
The father of the pilot-in-command, Sumeet Sabharwal, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, has urged the Supreme Court to commission a panel of aviation experts to investigate the crash. The court has scheduled a hearing to address this request on November 10. Sumeet Sabharwal, along with first officer Clive Kunder, has demanded an independent committee to scrutinize the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash and criticized the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Allegations were made earlier by Sabharwal that officials from the AAIB had suggested his son tampered with the fuel supply to the plane’s engine post-takeoff. However, the government refuted these claims, asserting that the investigation was comprehensive and unbiased. The preliminary report released by the AAIB in July revealed that fuel control switches in the cockpit were set to “CUTOFF.” Additionally, the cockpit audio recording captured one pilot questioning the other about cutting off the fuel, to which the other pilot denied doing so.
The report did not attribute specific comments to either pilot. Both pilots had extensive flying experience, totaling around 19,000 flying hours, including over 9,000 hours on the Boeing 787. Among the 241 individuals onboard the aircraft, 53 were UK citizens.
Mr. Ramesh, the crash survivor, residing in Leicester with his family, continues to endure physical discomfort from the incident, suffering from knee, shoulder, and back injuries, as well as burns to his left arm. He has been offered an interim compensation of £21,500 to aid in his recovery process.