The father of the Air India pilot who died in the tragic crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad has asked the Supreme Court to order an independent investigation that would take into account causes other than the pilot's actions, sources familiar with the matter were quoted by Reuters as saying.
The petition represents a major escalation of protests by the father and a pilots' union against the government's handling of the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade, which occurred shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
In one of India's worst air accidents, 260 people, including 241 passengers, were killed after the Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Seeks investigation by ex-SC judge
Sabharwal's latest plea, seeking a probe by a panel of aviation experts headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, comes weeks after he raised questions about the government probe.
Earlier, Pushkaraj, in a letter to the civil aviation secretary and director general of the AAIB, said selective leaks about the accident have led to speculation that Sumeet (56) was under immense psychological pressure and was therefore contemplating death.
Sabharwal said two AAIB officials who visited him had suggested that his son, Sumeet Sabharwal, had cut off the fuel to the plane's engine after take-off.
The government has denied such allegations, calling the investigation “very clean” and “very thorough.”
“Focus mainly on the deceased pilots
On October 11, the father told the court that the investigation team “focused primarily on the deceased pilots… while failing to investigate or eliminate other, more plausible technical and procedural causes,” said one of the sources who saw his file.
It also requested closure of the government probe and transfer to a new panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge that would also include aviation experts, said the two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Federation of Indian Pilots against
The judges are yet to hear the case, which according to the Supreme Court's website, was filed jointly by the father and the Federation of Indian Pilots against the government.
The investigation team appeared to focus primarily on the deceased pilots, but failed to investigate or eliminate other, more plausible technical and procedural causes.
A preliminary AAIB report found that the Boeing Dreamliner's fuel engine switches switched from run to cut-off almost simultaneously just after takeoff.
(With input from Reuters)
