The father of the Air India flight captain involved in the crash revealed that officials from India’s accident investigation bureau visited him last month. They suggested his son might have shut off the plane’s fuel after takeoff, as per correspondence seen by Reuters.
Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, aged 91, emailed the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) last week, mentioning that representatives from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) visited him on August 30 under the guise of condolences. They insinuated that his son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, was responsible for manipulating the fuel switches.
“During this conversation… they overstepped their role – implying, based on selective CVR (cockpit voice recorder) interpretation and a so-called ‘layered voice analysis’, that my son switched the fuel controls from RUN to CUTOFF after takeoff,” stated the email dated September 17.
A day before the AAIB visit, he wrote to the civil aviation ministry on August 29, urging the government to launch a new investigation into the tragic crash, criticizing investigators for “selectively” releasing information leading to speculation about his son’s actions.
In June, Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 aboard and 19 on the ground.
AAIB’s preliminary report indicated that the plane’s fuel switches flipped from run to cutoff almost immediately after takeoff.
The AAIB has not responded to Reuters’ inquiries. On Thursday, a Reuters reporter was prevented by security from accessing Pushkar Raj Sabharwal’s residence in Mumbai for comment.
The FIP criticized the AAIB’s visit, stating it had “addressed the issue” with the civil aviation minister.
“Judges or prosecutors do not visit victims’ homes for questioning,” stated Captain C.S. Randhawa, the FIP president, in a text to Reuters.
India’s civil aviation ministry and Air India have not responded to Reuters’ requests for statements.
‘INTEGRITY’
Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, a former official of India’s aviation safety regulator, urged the pilots federation to support a fair and transparent investigation in his email.
The AAIB’s preliminary report in July recorded one pilot questioning the other about cutting the fuel. “The other pilot replied he did not,” the report noted without specifying identities.
A source briefed on U.S. officials’ early assessment in July informed Reuters that cockpit dialogue supported the view that Captain Sabharwal cut the engine fuel.
The first officer, in control of the Boeing 787, asked the captain why he cut the fuel supply and requested reinstatement, the source told Reuters.
“My son’s dignity and due process integrity must be upheld,” Pushkar Raj Sabharwal wrote to the pilots federation, describing the investigator’s alleged comments as “procedurally improper and professionally indefensible.”
In July, the AAIB cautioned against spreading “premature narratives” that could harm the investigation’s integrity.
In his ministry letter, Sabharwal’s father conveyed that “speculation” had caused personal distress, asserting that another government investigation could “safeguard the truth and ensure future passenger safety.”
This week, India’s Supreme Court asked the government to respond to a separate public interest litigation seeking an independent crash investigation.
