New Delhi: The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA) on Saturday strongly objected to the direction and handling of the ongoing investigation into the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, calling it biased and lacking transparency.

ALPA President Captain Sam Thomas, in an official statement, said the group had reviewed the preliminary findings believed to have been shared with the media by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). He said they were dissatisfied with both the content of the report and the lack of transparency surrounding the probe.

The association alleged that the investigation seems to be moving forward with a presumption of pilot error, something it called “concerning.”

Questions over leaked findings

ALPA also questioned how details from the preliminary report, particularly about the “inadvertent movement of the fuel control switches”, were published in a media report on July 10, well before the association had access to the document. The report had cited a cockpit conversation where one pilot allegedly questioned the other over cutting off the fuel supply, only to be told, “I did not.”

Lack of expert involvement

The pilots’ group also criticised the composition of the investigating team, saying aviation experts with the required technical qualifications were not being consulted.

They reiterated their appeal to be included in the process “even in the capacity of observers so as to provide the requisite transparency.”

“We are once again surprised at the secrecy surrounding these investigations,” said Thomas.

The association stressed that air crash investigations should prioritise safety improvements and not be reduced to fault-finding missions targeting pilots.