The Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the Air India pilot involved in the June 12 crash has not been held responsible in the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB). The statement came during a hearing before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi in a plea filed by the father of one of the victims.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union government, told the court that the AAIB probe team was constituted under the international framework governing aviation accident investigations. He emphasised that the process has a statutory mandate.
During the hearing, Justice Joymalya Bagchi remarked that inquiries conducted by the AAIB are not intended to assign blame. “The AAIB inquiry is not for apportion blame on anyone. It is only to clarify the cause so that the same does not happen again,” he said.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing an NGO, argued that a parallel inquiry—similar to a court of inquiry—should be initiated considering the magnitude of the accident. He added that a pilots’ federation has raised concerns over the safety of these aircraft models, claiming that the planes cannot be fully trusted.
Justice Surya Kant cautioned that the proceedings should not turn into a dispute between competing airlines. He asked the Solicitor General to file a detailed response to the petition. The matter has been listed for further hearing in two weeks.
On June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after takeoff. The crash resulted in the deaths of 265 people, including 241 passengers and crew.
Among the deceased were 169 Indian nationals, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. The sole survivor was identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British citizen.
The AAIB’s final report is awaited.
