New Delhi– The Federation of Indian Pilots has asked the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau to hold a formal hearing and technical discussion before finalizing its report on the Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad.
The request follows a July 28 Supreme Court order that recorded the government’s assurance that submissions and suggestions from the pilots’ body would be considered as part of the investigation.
The Federation of Indian Pilots, or FIP, has sought formal recognition as an aviation stakeholder, inclusion of its technical submissions in the investigation record and examination of its observations by the appropriate investigation team.
In a letter, FIP President Capt. C.S. Randhawa requested a personal hearing or technical meeting with the investigator-in-charge and relevant subject-matter experts before the final report is completed.
The organization said it wants to provide technical input on simulator testing and reconstruction, sequence-of-events analysis, crew performance and human factors, aircraft and system behavior, and operational and regulatory oversight.
FIP is also seeking discussion of simulator configuration and fidelity, testing assumptions and methodology, flight-data correlation, cockpit workload, crew actions, aircraft warning systems, training standards and operating procedures.
The pilots’ body asked the AAIB, where appropriate, to identify the technical discipline or specialist responsible for examining each substantive issue it has raised.
FIP said it is not seeking confidential personal information or material that could undermine the independence or confidentiality of the investigation.
“FIP’s objective is not to interfere with, influence or prejudge the independent investigation, but to ensure that relevant operational and technical perspectives are available to the investigation authority before its conclusions are finalised,” the group said in its letter.
The federation requested that the technical meeting be held by Sept. 15, citing an anticipated timeline for completion of the investigation in the first week of October.
Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people. (Source: IANS)
