Air India pilot’s father asks top court for independent investigation into crash

Many have criticised the Indian government's handling of the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade

The 91-year-old father of a pilot killed in an Air India crash in June, which claimed 260 lives, has asked India's Supreme Court for an independent inquiry into the disaster.

Pushkar Raj Sabharwal's legal challenge marks a significant escalation in protests by both him and a pilots' union, who have criticised the Indian government's handling of what is considered the world's worst aviation accident in a decade.

The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.

Sabharwal is seeking a probe by aviation experts, overseen by a retired Supreme Court judge, weeks after he publicly questioned the official investigation.

He claims that officials from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) suggested his son, Sumeet Sabharwal, deliberately cut the plane's fuel supply post-takeoff.

The government has refuted these allegations, describing its investigation as "very clean" and "very thorough."

On 11 October, Sabharwal informed the court that the investigation team appeared to "predominantly focus on the deceased pilots (...) while failing to examine or eliminate other more plausible technical and procedural causes."

A preliminary AAIB report showed the Boeing BA.N Dreamliner's fuel engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff (Associated Press)

It also asked for the government investigation to be closed and handed to a new panel headed by a retired Supreme Court judge that includes aviation experts, said the two sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The judges have yet to take up the case, which the Supreme Court's website showed on Thursday had been filed jointly by the father and the Federation of Indian Pilots against the government, though it gave no details.

The AAIB, the civil aviation ministry, planemaker Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Sabharwal's father and the pilots' union did not respond to emails seeking comment.

A preliminary AAIB report showed the Boeing BA.N Dreamliner's fuel engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff.

The cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots supported the view that Captain Sabharwal had cut the flow of fuel to the engines, a source briefed on U.S. officials' early assessment of evidence in July told Reuters.

The Federation of Indian Pilots has about 5,000 members.