Air India Crash: Expert Hints at Pilot Sabotage

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 12th July: The deadly crash of Air India Flight 171, which claimed 260 lives, may have been the result of deliberate human action, according to one of India’s top aviation safety experts.

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a former instructor pilot and member of several aviation safety panels, has pointed to cockpit voice recordings and fuel cutoff data to allege that one of the pilots may have intentionally crashed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

“It cannot be an accident,” Ranganathan told NDTV, referencing the manual operation required to switch off both fuel control levers. “The action was deliberate… this is not something turbulence or mechanical failure can cause.”

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s preliminary report, released just a day earlier, revealed that both engines shut down 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport, causing the aircraft to crash into a nearby hostel. The report noted that both fuel control switches were manually moved from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ within a second of each other — an act requiring deliberate effort.

According to cockpit audio, one pilot asked, “Why did you do it?” to which the other responded, “I did not do it.” Captain Ranganathan called the language in the report vague, suggesting a potential cover-up.

The aircraft was being flown by First Officer Clive Kunder, while Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the monitoring pilot. Ranganathan stressed that only the pilot not flying (Sabharwal) would have had free hands at the critical moment of takeoff.

He further alleged, citing Air India sources, that one of the pilots had a known medical condition and had been on extended leave. “This needs full psychological profiling — not just of the last few days, but over months,” he said.

The crash is being compared to other infamous pilot-induced disasters including Germanwings Flight 9525, Malaysia Airlines MH370, and SilkAir Flight 185.

“India still does not maintain psychiatric profiles for pilots. Fatigue, stress, lack of work-life balance — all of this contributes to instability. We are treating pilots like machines,” he warned.

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu urged caution: “Let us not jump to conclusions. The final AAIB report is awaited. We trust our pilots and crew — they are the backbone of civil aviation.”

He also called for patience while experts complete their detailed investigation, noting the complexity of aircraft systems and crash dynamics.

The tragic incident, the first fatal crash involving a Dreamliner, has now sparked a larger debate on pilot mental health, safety protocols, and regulatory oversight.