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Priyanka Chaturvedi seeks probe into 'leak' of Air India plane crash report to international media

New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, demanding a probe to figure out how details of a preliminary report into the crash of Air India flight AI171 was released to the international media before its release in India. In a letter to Naidu, she said a formal inquiry should be conducted into the "leak". Seeking transparency regarding the authorship of the report, Chaturvedi said the names of all members of the investigation panel should be made public, and the interim report should bear the signatures of each panel member. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday released its preliminary report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff. Chaturvedi wrote, "I write to you to express serious concerns regarding the manner in which the recent interim investigation report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was handled and disseminated, particularly in light of media reports surfacing in international publications before the report was officially made public in India." She said she is writing given the serious implications for public safety, pilot morale, and India's global aviation standing. "Because one can't be a mute spectator to what is happening with regards to the narrative around the AI171 crash and its interim report," she said, sharing her letter on X. "It is deeply troubling that sensitive details of the AAIB report were available to foreign news agencies and published in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal before any official release in India. This raises urgent questions about how the contents of the report were accessed by foreign entities prior to their dissemination to the Indian public and concerned stakeholders. "Such a breach not only undermines the credibility of our aviation safety institutions but also reflects a serious lapse in information security and protocol," the Rajya Sabha MP said. She also claimed that the nonstop insinuations are being made against the deceased pilots through implication and selective leaks of the interim report through the international media are "absolutely reprehensible". "Such motivated speculation via broadcast, print and digital platforms shows a more sinister attempt to malign our pilots who aren't alive to put their case even pilot associations have raised their objections," Chaturvedi said. She also demanded that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issue clear media guidelines on how interim reports from regulatory and investigative bodies such as AAIB should be reported upon, considering their potential impact on aviation personnel, airline operations, and public perception globally. "Inclusion of experienced aviators in every stage of such investigations, either as investigators or as qualified observers, to ensure technical accuracy and stakeholder confidence," she demanded. Chaturvedi also alleged that the report was quietly released during late hours, with no public briefing, no signed interim findings, and no clarity on the process that led to its release. "The lack of transparency in such a critical matter gives rise to legitimate concerns about whose interests are being served and whether due process has been followed," she noted. The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said it is also important to highlight that pilot associations have publicly voiced their apprehensions about the composition of the investigation team. They have pointed out that no experienced aviator appears to have been involved in the investigation process, and have even offered to contribute voluntarily as observers to ensure credibility, technical insight, and fair representation, she said. Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, according to the preliminary investigation report, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Airlines Pilots Association of India disagreed with the report, saying the investigation is "shrouded in secrecy," appears to be biased against the pilot and has come to a conclusion hastily. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed that fuel-control switches of the two engines moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position, within the space of one second, leading to immediate loss of altitude. In the cockpit voice recording, one pilot is heard asking the other why he cut off the fuel. The other denied having done so. The report by the AIIB, released early on Saturday, neither concluded any reason for the switches moving nor apportioned explicit blame for the crash. It also did not identify the pilots in the voice recording. But it also said no fault was found in the aircraft, leaving only the possibility of pilot error as the cause. PTI SKC SKC SKY SKY

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