AI Pilot's Nonagenarian Father Seeks Fresh Probe Into Ahmedabad Crash To Clear Son's Name

New Delhi: Pushkaraj Sabharwal, the 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, commander of the ill-fated Air India AI 171 flight to Gatwick, London that crashed within seconds after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12 this year, has urged the government to carry out a ‘formal investigation’ as the preliminary findings by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) tarnished the reputation of his son.

The Ahmedabad crash, one of the worst in India’s aviation history, claimed 260 lives, including those of 19 on the ground.

Pushkaraj’s letter is addressed to the civil aviation secretary and AAIB director general, and claims that selective leaks about the preliminary findings had led to speculation that Sumeet (56) was under tremendous psychological pressure and contemplating suicide.

“These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup and the reputation of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They tarnish Captain Sabharwal’s reputation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed to a citizen of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the grieving father stated in the letter, dated August 29.

He has demanded that the central government order a formal enquiry into the accident under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, which empowers the Centre to institute a formal investigation into the circumstances of any accident of an Indian-registered aircraft if it appears expedient to hold such a probe. The government or AAIB are not known to have responded as yet.

In its preliminary report, released on July 12, the AAIB had asserted it was too early to draw any “definite conclusions” as the investigation was still on and that the final report would identify root causes. The agency also urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.

“The preliminary report on the contrary does not allude to the ‘what’ happened or the bare facts of the crash, instead resorting to insinuations on the one hand and offering copious clean chits to the manufacturer/s on the other. The report in its present form is deficient, diversionary & discrepant,” Pushkaraj claimed.

He pointed to how selective information from the preliminary investigation — including contents of the cockpit voice recorder — had been put into the public domain.

Refuting speculation about his son’s mental health, the elderly man pointed to certain media reports suggesting that Sumeet was divorced and that had caused him anxiety and depression.

“It even ignores the fact that Captain Sabharwal was divorced about 15 years ago. The other speculation relating to the cause for Captain Sabharwal being desirous of committing suicide has been his mother’s death. His mother died more than three years ago. After that, Captain Sabharwal had operated more than 100 flights without any incident or accident,” the letter stated.

“It is most pertinent to note that in over 25 years of flying, Captain Sabharwal had not had a single incident or accident-causing fatalities or otherwise,” it added.

Capt Sabharwal had nearly 15,638.22 hours of flying experience, of which 8,596 hours were on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – the aircraft involved in the Ahmedabad crash. He was also designated as a Pilot Trainer — a Line Training Captain — and held the DGCA licence for that purpose.

In the preliminary report, AAIB had noted that fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he cut off (fuel supply). The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report claimed.