‘Vested Interest’: Minister Rejects US Media’s ‘Pilot Error’ Spin on Air India Crash
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Sunday strongly refuted recent reports in Western media that blamed “pilot error” for the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The minister slammed the narrative as potentially driven by “vested interests” and urged everyone to await the final report from India’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), expressing full confidence in the ongoing domestic probe.
“The AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish,” Naidu said. He warned against peddling theories before the official investigation is complete.
“Making any comments before the final report has come is not good exercise on behalf of anyone… Stick to the report. Whatever the report says is final,” the minister asserted.
The controversy stems from differing interpretations of the preliminary probe data. The AAIB’s initial report revealed a cockpit recording where one pilot was heard asking, “Why did you cut off the fuel?” and the other replying, “I did not do so.”
While the Indian agency has not yet commented on whether the fuel supply was intentionally cut, reports in The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, citing unnamed officials, suggested it was a deliberate act by the senior pilot.
Minister Naidu praised the Indian investigative body for its work, highlighting a significant step in India’s aviation capabilities. “Earlier black box was always sent abroad to get the data out. It was the first time data has been decoded in India,” he said. “I believe in the AAIB. I believe in the work being done by the AAIB. They have done a wonderful job.”
He reiterated that the investigation needs time to corroborate all the data before reaching a final conclusion.
