While hearing a petition in the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash case, the Supreme Court said that we are in favour of ensuring an independent, impartial and speedy investigation of the plane crash by an expert body.

Information should remain confidential until the investigation is complete... Supreme Court on Ahmedabad Air India plane crash

The Supreme Court has questioned the preliminary report of the Ahmedabad plane crash, which alleges pilot error. During a hearing on a petition regarding the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, the Supreme Court stated that it supports an independent, impartial, and prompt investigation by an expert body into the plane crash. Issuing a notice, the Supreme Court stated that the preliminary investigation, which alleged pilot error, was unfortunate, but that confidentiality should be maintained in further investigations.    

Tomorrow someone says X pilot is responsible, then he turns out to be innocent!

Justice Surya Kant said that crash information should remain confidential until the regular investigation is complete. "Suppose tomorrow someone claims that pilot X is responsible, and ultimately the final investigation exonerates him? Suppose tomorrow it's said that pilot A is responsible. Obviously, the pilot's family will be distressed. Instead of leaking information in bits and pieces, one should maintain confidentiality until the regular investigation reaches its logical conclusion," he said.

More than 100 days have passed since the crash, only preliminary reports have come in.

The Supreme Court asked Bhushan that while a fair investigation is understandable, why are the petitioners demanding that so much information be made public? Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner NGO, said, "More than 100 days have passed since the crash. Only a preliminary report has been filed. This report does not detail what might have happened, how it might have happened, and what safety measures should have been taken. A five-member investigation team has been formed in this case. Three of these include DDCA officers, whereas the DDCA itself should be questioned for its shortcomings."  

The petition was filed by the Safety Matters Foundation, an aviation safety NGO led by Captain Amit Singh. The petition questions the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report, stating that it conceals crucial information and places the entire responsibility for the accident squarely on the pilot. The petition alleges that the manner in which the investigation was conducted violates the fundamental rights to life, equality, and truthful information. It states that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report, which attributes the accident to the shifting of the fuel cutoff switch from RUN to CUTOFF, indicates pilot error.

However, crucial flight data such as the entire Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) output, the complete Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcript with timestamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording (EAFR) data have been withheld. The June 12 accident killed 265 passengers, crew, and people on the ground. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad to London.  

 PC:NDTVIndia