The Supreme Court of India has expressed strong disapproval regarding the actions taken by the country’s aviation authorities in the aftermath of the Air India plane crash that occurred in June, resulting in the deaths of 261 individuals. The incident involved a flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport that crashed shortly after takeoff, leaving only one survivor among the 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground.
The court criticized the aviation authority for allegedly suggesting through media leaks that pilot error contributed to the accident, labeling this behavior as irresponsible. The court has requested a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to making a ruling on a case brought forth by activists who are advocating for an independent investigation into the incident.
The preliminary report released by the aviation authorities on July 12 indicated that fuel supply to the engines was halted just seconds after takeoff. Additionally, a cockpit voice recording revealed one pilot questioning another about the fuel cut-off, though it did not clarify who was responsible. At takeoff, the co-pilot was operating the aircraft while the captain was monitoring.
A Supreme Court judge acknowledged the unfortunate implications of suggesting that the pilots had intentionally disrupted fuel supply. This crash has raised concerns regarding the safety of India’s airspace. However, the head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) defended India’s aviation safety record, asserting that “India’s skies have always been safe.” Notably, the DGCA had uncovered 51 safety violations at Air India during an annual audit conducted in the previous year.
In related developments, the families of four passengers who perished in the crash have initiated a lawsuit in the United States against planemaker Boeing and aircraft parts manufacturer Honeywell, alleging negligence and a failure to address known design risks.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmex7912nro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss