Indian aviation safety, its dangerous credibility deficit, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• On June 12, 2025, Air India flight 171 crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, killing 241 of 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground.
• The preliminary report indicated that the fuel control switches of both engines were manually moved to cut off shortly after takeoff.
• The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the U.S. and the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of the U.K. assisted in the investigation.
• Discrepancies arose between U.S. and Indian authorities regarding the crash findings, leading to concerns about the transparency of the investigation.

Detailed Insights:

• The crash investigation is governed by ICAO Annex 13 Standards, which India is obligated to follow as a signatory.
• The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) data were crucial for determining the cause, but Indian authorities lacked the expertise to fully retrieve the data.
• Past aviation accidents in India, such as the 2010 Mangalore and 2020 Kozhikode crashes, have shown a pattern of inadequate safety measures and political interference.
• The article suggests a lack of transparency and potential manipulation of the AI 171 crash report, drawing comparisons to the prompt and transparent actions taken by the FAA and NTSB in other incidents.
• The author expresses concern that delaying findings and releasing misleading statements about the AI 171 crash could damage India's credibility in aviation safety investigation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• ICAO Annex 13: International standards for aircraft accident and incident investigation.
• CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder): Device that records the audio environment of the flight deck.
• DFDR (Digital Flight Data Recorder): An electronic recording device that records instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft.