NEW DELHI: The father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who died in the Air India Ahmedabad crash, was saddened by the AAIB probe demanding a ‘formal investigation’ by the central government.In the Ahmedabad plane crash, which was one of the worst aircraft accidents in India, 260 people, including 241 passengers, were killed. Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI171 to London Gatwick crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12.In a letter to the civil aviation secretary and AAIB Director General, 91-year-old Pushkaraj Sabharwal said that selective leaks about the accident had led to speculation that Sumeet (56) was under tremendous psychological pressure and contemplating suicide, PTI reported.”These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup and the reputation of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They tarnish Captain Sabharwal’s reputation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed to a citizen of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the letter, dated August 29, said.Pushkaraj has demanded that the central government order a formal enquiry into the accident under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, which empowers the Centre to institute a formal investigation into the circumstances of any accident of an Indian-registered aircraft if it appears expedient to hold such a probe. There were no immediate comments from the civil aviation ministry or the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on the letter. Amid speculation about the cause of the fatal crash following the release of its preliminary probe report on July 12, the AAIB had asserted it was too early to draw any “definite conclusions” as the investigation was still on and that the final report would identify root causes. The agency also urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.”The preliminary report on the contrary does not allude to the ‘what’ happened or the bare facts of the crash, instead resorting to insinuations on the one hand and offering copious clean chits to the manufacturer/s on the other. The report in its present form is deficient, diversionary & discrepant,” the letter said. It further alleged that selective information from the preliminary investigation — including contents of the cockpit voice recorder — had been put into the public domain. Pushkaraj also refuted speculation about his son’s mental health. Citing reports, he said it was suggested Sumeet was divorced and that caused him anxiety and depression.”It even ignores the fact that Captain Sabharwal was divorced about 15 years ago. The other speculation relating to the cause for Captain Sabharwal being desirous of committing suicide has been his mother’s death. His mother died more than three years ago. After that, Captain Sabharwal had operated more than 100 flights without any incident or accident.”It is most pertinent to note that in over 25 years of flying, Captain Sabharwal had not had a single incident or accident-causing fatalities or otherwise,” the letter said. He had almost 15,638.22 hours of flying experience, of which 8,596 hours were on the 787-8. He was also designated as a Pilot Trainer — a Line Training Captain — and held the DGCA licence for that purpose. Pushkaraj added that the absence of a formal enquiry under Rule 12, coupled with selective information being provided to the media, was very disturbing and detrimental to him and affected his fundamental rights, including the right to the reputation of his deceased son.In the preliminary report, AAIB had said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” it had said.
