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New Delhi: The Federation of India Pilots sent a legal notice to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) after they summoned a relative of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was flying the ill-fated Air India plane 171, for investigations. The person called for questioning is also a pilot. The flight, AI-171 crashed soon after taking off from London from Ahmedabad.
The crash took place on June 12, 2025.
According to a report in NDTV, Air India informed Captain Varun Anand that the AAIB had summoned him for questioning in relation to the June 12 crash. Soon after this, the Federation of Indian Pilots objected to the move. They wanted to know the reason why Captain Anand had been summoned.
The pilots body argued that Captain Anand was not present at the crash site, nor was he in any way involved in flight planning. They also said that he was not even a witness in the case, so why he was summoned is not clear.
A total of 260 people died in the horrific accident, which rocked Indian aviation last year.
The pilot's association alleged that Captain Anand was summoned only because he was a relative of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They said that the probe bureau was trying to shift blame on the plane's crew. They said that they suspected that the AAIB already had a pre-decided narrative regarding the case and this was just an attempt to show the crew as the main culprits.
The Federation cited international aviation rules and said that it was not legal to call family members for investigation. They however said that the Captain was willing to attend the investigations via video conferencing and will not appear in person before the committee.
