Air India 171 crash: Pilot's father moves Supreme Court; seeks fair probe monitored by retired judge

NEW DELHI: The father of Air India pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was the main pilot of the ill-fated flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, on Thursday approached the Supreme Court seeking a retired judge–monitored probe into the tragedy.

He urged that the investigation be fair, transparent, and technically sound.

In June, Air India flight AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, claiming 260 lives.

Also read: ‘No dirty business': Aviation minister on AI 171 crash probe; asks to wait for final report


Earlier in September, the Supreme Court raised serious concerns over the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report on the June 12 crash, describing parts of it as “irresponsible.”

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh issued notices to the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in response to a plea for an independent and time-bound investigation.

The court examined the July 12 preliminary report, which pointed to possible lapses by the pilots operating flight AI171.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash has prompted widespread calls for accountability and a deeper probe into procedural failures surrounding one of India’s deadliest air disasters in recent years.