Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has slammed the “hushed” and opaque release of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) interim report on the Air India flight IX-171 crash, calling it a serious breach of information security, reported India Today. The Mumbai-based Rajya Sabha member also defended the pilots, urging the Ministry of Civil Aviation to investigate how sensitive findings were leaked to international media before Indian authorities or the public were officially briefed.
Her intervention has intensified the debate surrounding the June 12 Air India Express tragedy that killed 241 passengers and crew after the aircraft veered off course and crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad.
Report Leaked Abroad Before India Was Briefed
In a strongly worded letter to Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, Chaturvedi questioned how international media outlets like The Wall Street Journal obtained and published key findings from the AAIB’s preliminary probe even before Indian stakeholders were informed.
“It is deeply troubling that sensitive details of the AAIB report were available to foreign news agencies before any official release in India. This raises urgent questions about how the contents of the report were accessed by foreign entities,” Chaturvedi wrote.
She called the leak a “serious lapse in information security”, stating that it undermines the credibility of Indian aviation safety institutions and feeds “motivated speculation”—especially when the pilots involved are no longer alive to defend themselves.
What the AAIB Report Revealed
According to the AAIB’s 15-page preliminary report, both fuel control switches in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s cockpit shifted from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ within seconds of takeoff, leading to an immediate loss of power. Although the pilots managed to relight one engine, the aircraft could not gain enough thrust to stay airborne and crashed into a medical hostel complex just outside the airport perimeter.
Cockpit voice recordings reportedly captured one pilot asking, “Why did you cut off?”—to which the other denied doing so. The report, however, does not conclusively establish how the switches were moved or whether it was accidental, manual, or due to a technical fault.
Chaturvedi Questions Timing and Transparency
Adding to the controversy, Chaturvedi flagged the manner in which the report was released: “quietly” during late evening hours, with no signed statement or official media briefing.
“The report was quietly released during late hours, with no public briefing, no signed interim findings, and no clarity on the process that led to its release,” she wrote.
She argued that the lack of transparency raises legitimate concerns over whose interests are being protected and whether due process has been followed.
Pilots’ Union Also Seeks Technical Representation
Chaturvedi also backed demands by pilot associations, who have expressed concerns about the lack of qualified technical observers in the investigation panel. She urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to include experienced aviators in the probe process to ensure fair accountability and avoid speculative conclusions.
The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) and Airline Pilots’ Guild have already described the report as “deeply insensitive” and premature, particularly in its implication of pilot error.
Demand for Formal Inquiry Into the Leak
Chaturvedi concluded her letter by demanding a formal inquiry into how the AAIB report was leaked and why Indian authorities were left out of the information loop. She reiterated that such lapses not only harm India’s global aviation standing but also compromise the integrity of accident investigations.
Photo Credit: India Today
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