Archive · 26 Sep 2025
Air India Crash: Father Alleges Investigators Blamed Pilot
Imagine a big airplane crash, and sadly, almost everyone on board died.
The father of the pilot, who also died, is very sad.
He says that some people investigating the crash, called AAIB officials, visited him.
They seemed to suggest his son did something wrong by turning off the fuel during the flight, which might have caused the crash.
The father is upset because he doesn't think his son was to blame and said the officials were insinuating based on voice recordings from the plane.
Some experts are also saying that the issue could be a technical problem.
Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on June 12.
241 people died in the crash; there was only one survivor.
The father of the deceased pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, wrote to the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP).
Sabharwal alleges that AAIB officials insinuated his son cut off fuel after takeoff.
The AAIB officials' insinuation was allegedly based on interpretation of the cockpit voice recorder.
- Who
- Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, father of the pilot, and AAIB officials
- What
- AAIB officials insinuated that the pilot cut off fuel after takeoff, contributing to the crash.
- When
- The crash occurred on June 12; the father's email was sent September 17.
- Where
- Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
- Why
- The AAIB officials' insinuation to the pilot’s actions is based on selective cockpit voice recorder interpretation.
Father's Perspective
AAIB Investigation
Cause of the Crash
Father's Perspective
Father disputes the claim that his son was responsible for the crash, and suggests the AAIB is wrongly blaming his son.
AAIB Investigation
AAIB officials implied pilot error contributed to the crash based on voice recordings.
- Incident
- Air India flight AI-171 crash
- Date of Crash
- June 12
- Location
- Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
- Fatalities
- 241
- Survivor
- One
- Pilot's Name
- Captain Sumeet Sabharwal
- AAIB Officials' Allegation
- Pilot cut off fuel after takeoff