Air India crash: Supreme Court says it was ‘irresponsible’ to blame pilots
Air India plane crash: The bench, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, observed that sometimes rival aircraft companies take advantage of such tragedies.
- Sep 22, 2025,
- Updated Sep 22, 2025 1:25 PM IST
The Supreme Court, responding to a Public Interest Litigation seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into the Air India plane crash, said it was irresponsible to blame pilots based on a preliminary inquiry report.
The court asked, "If tomorrow someone irresponsibly says pilot A or B was at fault, the family will suffer. What happens if the final inquiry report later finds no fault?" It stressed the importance of maintaining confidentiality until the inquiry is complete.
The court was addressing the concerns raised by Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO Safety Matters Foundation. Bhushan highlighted that US publication, The Wall Street Journal, reported on the crash investigation before the preliminary report was submitted to the Centre.
He noted that after the government officially released the report, many attributed the cause to pilot error. Bhushan emphasised that the pilots involved were very experienced, yet the reports suggested that one pilot was suicidal and had switched the fuel switch. Justice Surya Kant described such media reports as very “irresponsible”, and regretted the portrayal of one of the pilots as suicidal during the coverage of the incident.
The bench, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, observed that sometimes rival aircraft companies take advantage of such tragedies. It issued notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a transparent, fair, and expeditious investigation.
The Supreme Court also said blame should not be attributed to aircraft manufacturers like Airbus or Boeing, as they could argue the plane was properly maintained and cleared. It warned against rumours or misrepresentation of the situation.
The plea stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau issued a preliminary report on July 12, attributing the accident to fuel cutoff switches being moved from run to cutoff, suggesting pilot error. It alleged that the report withheld critical information, including the full Digital Flight Data Recorder output, complete Cockpit Voice Recorder transcripts with time stamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording data.
According to the plea, these details are essential for a transparent and objective understanding of the disaster.
The Supreme Court, responding to a Public Interest Litigation seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into the Air India plane crash, said it was irresponsible to blame pilots based on a preliminary inquiry report.
The court asked, "If tomorrow someone irresponsibly says pilot A or B was at fault, the family will suffer. What happens if the final inquiry report later finds no fault?" It stressed the importance of maintaining confidentiality until the inquiry is complete.
The court was addressing the concerns raised by Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the NGO Safety Matters Foundation. Bhushan highlighted that US publication, The Wall Street Journal, reported on the crash investigation before the preliminary report was submitted to the Centre.
He noted that after the government officially released the report, many attributed the cause to pilot error. Bhushan emphasised that the pilots involved were very experienced, yet the reports suggested that one pilot was suicidal and had switched the fuel switch. Justice Surya Kant described such media reports as very “irresponsible”, and regretted the portrayal of one of the pilots as suicidal during the coverage of the incident.
The bench, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, observed that sometimes rival aircraft companies take advantage of such tragedies. It issued notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a transparent, fair, and expeditious investigation.
The Supreme Court also said blame should not be attributed to aircraft manufacturers like Airbus or Boeing, as they could argue the plane was properly maintained and cleared. It warned against rumours or misrepresentation of the situation.
The plea stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau issued a preliminary report on July 12, attributing the accident to fuel cutoff switches being moved from run to cutoff, suggesting pilot error. It alleged that the report withheld critical information, including the full Digital Flight Data Recorder output, complete Cockpit Voice Recorder transcripts with time stamps, and Electronic Aircraft Fault Recording data.
According to the plea, these details are essential for a transparent and objective understanding of the disaster.