Air India Crash Pilot's Father Defends Son's Reputation Ahead of Investigation Update
The father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the senior pilot killed in Air India Flight 171's crash in June 2025, has vowed to continue defending his son's reputation days before investigators release an update on their findings. The crash, which killed at least 260 people shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, remains under investigation, with preliminary findings showing fuel control switches moved to cut-off position but no determination of intentional action. The family's defense comes after media reports suggested investigators were focusing on the senior pilot, claims rejected by India's aviation authority and pilots' associations.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran pilot with over 15,600 flying hours and three decades of experience at Air India, was the senior pilot in the cockpit when Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing at least 260 people. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released a preliminary report in July 2025 indicating that fuel control switches for both engines had moved from "run" to "cut-off" position shortly after takeoff, with cockpit audio capturing pilots discussing the fuel cutoff but investigators not identifying which pilot made which statement or determining if any action was intentional. Following the preliminary report, international media outlets including Reuters and The Wall Street Journal published reports citing unnamed sources suggesting investigators were focusing on the senior pilot, prompting strong criticism from India's pilots' associations, the AAIB itself, and legal action by Sabharwal's family in India's Supreme Court. Sabharwal's 90-year-old father, a retired aviation safety officer, told the BBC that he feels compelled to protect his son's reputation, noting that "every time an accident takes place, the pilot is blamed" as the simplest way to close investigations.
What different sources said
- BBC WorldCenter
Air India crash pilot's father vows to defend son's reputation
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