The Preliminary Report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau , 12th June 2025, AI 171 crash which killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, has been slammed by the the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA-I) in a strong statement (12 July, 2025) sent to the Press Trust of India (PTI) and posted by ANI on X for suggesting ‘pilot error’ bias and speculative media reports based on it suggesting pilot suicide as being the reason behind the tragic air incident. Rejecting the report the statement questions how such a sensitive report was leaked to the Wall Street Journal, which carried a news item based on it one day before it was released in India.
The main points of the ALPHA-I statement:
- Report leaked to the media without attribution
- Lack of transparency in investigation
- Wall Street Journal leak
- Serviceability bulletin mentioned – compliance in question
- Presumption of pilot guilt
- 6. Call for ALPA-I inclusion in the probe
The statement says, “The tone and direction of the investigation suggest a bias toward pilot error. We categorically reject this presumption and insist on a fair, fact-based inquiry.”The report was leaked to media without any responsible official signature or attribution. There is lack of transparency in investigation as investigations continue to be shrouded in secrecy, undermining credibility and public trust. Qualified, experienced personnel, especially line pilots, are still not being included in the investigation team.”
The Hindu, Evening Wrap, 13 July 2025, reports the ICPA, ” Strongly rejecting insinuations in some quarters about pilot suicide, the association representing narrow-body pilots of Air India stressed that until the official investigation is concluded and the final report is published, any speculation is unacceptable and must be condemned.
ICPA on Sunday said it is deeply disturbed by speculative narratives emerging in sections of the media and public discourse, particularly the reckless and unfounded insinuation of pilot suicide.”
