NEW DELHI: In the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu defended the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the crash of AI 171, stating that it is “totally unbiased” and conducting a definitive, thorough, and rule-based investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
Amid ongoing speculation about the potential role of the pilots in the accident, Naidu clarified that the AAIB’s preliminary report outlines only what is currently known, based on the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. “I can say this in the House that the AAIB has a very definitive and thorough rule-based process. They are very transparently looking at the (investigation) process right now, and they are totally unbiased.”
Responding to supplementary questions during Question Hour on the first day of the House in the monsoon session of parliament, the minister said, “We want to stand by the truth. We want to find out what exactly happened, and that is only going to come out once the final report (of AAIB) is tabled. We have to respect the process of investigation, and once that happens, then we can talk about what happened, how it happened, and then corrective measures can be taken.”
The AAIB recently released its interim report on the crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on June 12, claiming the lives of 260 individuals, including 19 people on the ground.
Naidu said media, in India and the West, were presenting diverse viewpoints and narratives. “I want to tell you that the way we are seeing the probe is through facts,” he said.