Pilot associations reject claims of human error in fatal Air India crash
This handout taken and posted on the X (formerly Twitter) account of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) On June 12, 2025 shows the back of an Air India plane after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad. The London-bound Air India flight 171 passenger plane crashed on June 12 in India's western city of Ahmedabad with 242 on board, aviation officials said in what the airline called a "tragic accident".
Image: CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF) / AFP
Two of India's most prominent commercial pilots’ associations have pushed back against early speculation that human error — or even pilot suicide — may have played a role in the fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people on June 12.
The crash killed 241 of the 242 people on board, as well as 19 people on the ground.
AFP reports that the backlash follows a preliminary report issued by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday. While the report stopped short of assigning blame, it revealed that the aircraft’s engine fuel switches had been turned off before the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
The AAIB noted an exchange between the two pilots, in which one asked the other why he had cut off fuel, to which the second pilot reportedly replied that he had not. No additional detail regarding cockpit dialogue was provided.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) expressed concern over what it called “speculative narratives,” especially around the possibility of pilot suicide.
“There is absolutely no basis for such a claim at this stage,” the ICPA said in a statement issued Sunday. “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.”
The ICPA was responding to commentary by several independent aviation experts, who suggested that fuel control switches can only be operated manually and deliberately — implying the action was not accidental.
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India), another organisation representing some 800 pilots, raised further concerns over the investigation’s transparency.
“We feel that the investigation is being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots and we strongly object to this line of thought,” said ALPA India president Sam Thomas in a statement on Saturday.
ALPA also criticised what it described as “secrecy” around the AAIB’s process and called for qualified personnel to be included. The group has requested that its representatives be allowed to observe the investigation to ensure transparency.