The North News
New Delhi, July 17
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has raised serious objections to the handling of the investigation into the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, warning that the preliminary findings lack rigour and risk unfairly implicating the flight crew. In a formal statement issued on July 16, the pilots’ body expressed dissatisfaction over the exclusion of pilot representatives from the probe and criticised the public dissemination of what it described as an incomplete and selectively interpreted report.
“The report appears to lean heavily on paraphrased cockpit voice recordings to suggest pilot error,” said FIP president, Capt. C.S. Randhaw. “This narrative questions the competence of the crew without a full analysis of all contributing factors.”
The union cautioned stakeholders—particularly the media and regulators—against drawing conclusions before a comprehensive and data-driven investigation is complete. “Speculative commentary only serves to undermine the professionalism of highly trained flight crew and causes avoidable distress to their families,” Randhawa added. The FIP emphasised the importance of due process and urged that aviation safety not be compromised by hastily drawn or politicised conclusions. The association called for an evidence-based approach, underscoring the need for transparency and procedural fairness in determining the cause of the crash.
