Pilot groups reject claims of human error in Air India crash

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The pilot groups said the speculation does a disservice to the profession.

PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW DELHI - Two major commercial pilots’ associations have rejected claims that human error caused an

Air India crash that killed 260 people

The report, issued on July 12 by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB),neither offered any conclusions nor apportioned blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not.

No more details about the cockpit dialogue between the pilots were revealed.

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said it was “deeply disturbed by speculative narratives... particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide.”

“There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage,” it said in a statement on July 13, adding, “it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved.”

“To casually suggest pilot suicide without verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting and a disservice to the dignity of the profession,” it said.

The initial probe finding sparked speculation by several independent aviation experts that deliberate or inadvertent pilot action may have caused the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to crash soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India.

The ICPA was referring to a number of aviation experts suggesting

engine fuel control switches

The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India),another pilots’ body with 800 members, also accused the probe