The blame game surrounding the fatal Air India flight AI 171 crash has reached yet another chapter, as the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has issued a legal notice to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in relation to the summoning of Captain Varun Anand, NDTV reports.
The pilot body objects to the summons, declaring it a violation of international standards and norms. It also expressed concerns that investigations may be pursuing a 'pre-decided narrative' to shift blame onto the deceased flight crew.
This comes after Captain Anand was notified by Air India that he was required to appear before the AAIB regarding the June 2025 accident, which resulted in the loss of all crew members and 229 passengers.
The FIP, through the legal notice, has stated that the AAIB has failed to clarify the legal basis for the summons or the specific fiduciary capacity in which Captain Anand is being called. It further stated that Anand had no professional connection to flight AI 171 and was not involved in the flight planning. He was also not present at the crash site in Ahmedabad, the body argues.
"Captain Varun Anand is neither a factual witness nor a technical witness, nor is he an expert witness in relation to the said accident," the FIP said. The body argues that Anand is being targeted solely due to his personal relationship with the deceased Pilot in Command, Captain Sumit Sabharwal.
The federation further stated that summoning a family member of a deceased pilot as part of a crash investigation is "unlawful" under Annexe 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). According to the FIP, such actions prioritise assigning blame over the ICAO-mandated goal of accident prevention.
Despite the legal objection, though, the FIP clarified that Captain Anand remains willing to cooperate and is available to appear via video conferencing. The AI 171 crash, which occurred shortly after takeoff, remains one of the country's most scrutinised aviation disasters in recent memory.
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