Supreme Court petition seeks Air India AI171 crash inquiry
The 91-year-old father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, along with the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has approached the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored investigation into the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, which claimed 260 lives. The petition requests the formation of an independent inquiry panel headed by a former Supreme Court judge and supported by aviation and technical experts.
In his plea, Pushkaraj Sabharwal urged the Court to ensure a “fair, transparent, and technically robust” probe into the tragedy. He argued that “an incomplete and prejudiced inquiry, without identifying the exact cause of the accident, endangers the lives of future passengers and undermines aviation safety at large, causing a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.”
Earlier, on September 22, the Supreme Court had taken note of certain aspects of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)’s preliminary report, which indicated lapses on the part of the pilots, and had issued notices to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a related plea demanding an independent and time-bound investigation.
The new petition, filed on October 10, names the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the DGCA, and the Director General of the AAIB as respondents. It is expected to come up for hearing after the Diwali vacation. The plea seeks the constitution of an independent committee to examine all factors leading to the crash, which killed 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground.
According to the petition, the ongoing investigation by the AAIB and DGCA is “defective, biased, and technically unsound.” It alleges that the July 12, 2025 preliminary report wrongly attributes the cause of the crash to pilot error, while disregarding possible systemic, electrical, or software failures. The petitioners claim that the inquiry has focused excessively on the deceased pilots—who cannot defend themselves—and ignored vital technical evidence.
Such an approach, the plea argues, not only tarnishes the reputation of the late crew members but also compromises aviation safety and violates the right to life and dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Pushkaraj Sabharwal’s petition highlights his son’s “unblemished career spanning over 30 years, with 15,638 hours of incident-free flying, including 8,596 hours on Boeing 787-8 aircraft, without a single reported lapse or incident causing fatalities or otherwise.”
Flight AI171, bound for London Gatwick, took off from Ahmedabad but crashed within minutes, striking the BJ Medical College hostel located less than a nautical mile from the runway. The crash created a debris field nearly 1,000 feet long and 400 feet wide, indicating a high-energy impact. The Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) failed to activate, and both Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder were among those killed.
The petitioners argue that only a court-monitored, independent investigation can ensure accountability, restore public confidence, and prevent future aviation disasters.
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