The NTSB chairperson called the media reports on the Air India 171 crash premature and speculative. She also extended her support towards AAIB's investigation.
Jennifer Homendy, the current chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), shared a statement on Friday, calling the media reports regarding the recent Air India Flight 171 crash "premature and speculative." The Air India crash has been a topic of discussion over the past few weeks. Despite no official report on the matter having been released, multiple media reports have been published.
The Air India Flight 171 crash that resulted in the loss of 260 lives is currently under investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and no official reports on the matter have been shared publicly. Despite this, there have been several media reports making the rounds on the internet stating the role of the flight's senior pilot in shutting both engines.
The NTSB chairperson shared a statement on the current media reports on their official X account. In her statement, Homendy called the reports "premature." She mentioned that investigations of such scale require time and also emphasised the AAIB's public appeal, which was shared on Thursday. She also extended her support towards AAIB.
Amid the premature media reports, AAIB also shared an appeal, asking people to refrain from speculation at this stage. In their statement, they discussed the seriousness of the crash and the negative implications of the media reports.
"It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased, passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on ground. It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing. We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process."
AAIB recently shared a preliminary report on the Air India crash. In their report, they shared that the fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were cut off after takeoff, resulting in the plane's crash. The report also shared the in-flight communication between the pilots in which First Officer Clive Kunder is heard asking Captain Sumeet Sabharwal about the decision. To this, Captain Sabharwal responded by denying doing anything to the fuel switches.
In response to the preliminary report released by AAIB, India's civil aviation regulator has called for an investigation into Boeing 737 and 787 aircraft for any mechanical issues.
