Air India Crash: Why HLC? Leave Probe to Professionals, Experts, Says AIPSN

New Delhi: The All-India People’s Science Network (AIPSN), a collective of 40 people’s science movements across 25 states, while expressing “deep sadness” over the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, has questioned the Union government’s rationale of setting up a High-Level Committee (HLC) for probe when the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was already doing the same.

In a press statement, AIPSN said: “Clearly, the HLC is an undesirable parallel investigation which will, by virtue of its backing by highest levels of government, undermine the AAIB investigation. AIPSN calls upon the Ministry of Civil Aviation to immediately revise Terms of Reference of the HLC, and remove all objectives, scope of work and mandates which overlap those of the AAIB investigation.”

Read the full statement below:

AIPSN Statement on High-Level Committee on Air India 171 Crash

 June 16, 2025

AIPSN is deeply saddened by the horrendous crash on 12 June 2025 of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner” flight AI-171 almost immediately after take-off at Ahmedabad heading for Gatwick, London. All but one of the 242 crew and passengers perished, tragically along with (so far) an additional 30 persons where the plane crashed into a medical college student’s mess and hostel.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has started its independent inquiry into the causes and circumstances surrounding the crash as called for by protocols of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). AAIB has started the important step of decoding the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Digital Flight Data Recorder (FDR) recovered from the crash site. It is understood that teams from the US and UK are also arriving in India to assist. The AAIB should also issue a public notice inviting suggestions from experts and interested persons.

However, for unexplained reasons, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has constituted a High Level Committee (HLC) to also inquire into the crash! Although the Order constituting the HLC states that it “will not be a substitute for other inquiries,” this is directly contradicted by its Objective to “ascertain the root cause of the crash,” assess factors such as mechanical failure, human error, weather conditions etc and examine the black boxes and aircraft maintenance records, interview Air Traffic Controllers, and collaborate with international agencies. All of these fall squarely under the ambit of the AAIB investigation as mandated by ICAO Article 13.

Clearly, the HLC is an undesirable parallel investigation which will, by virtue of its backing by highest levels of government, undermine the AAIB investigation. AIPSN calls upon the Ministry of Civil Aviation to immediately revise Terms of Reference of the HLC, and remove all objectives, scope of work and mandates which overlap those of the AAIB investigation.

It is to be noted that India constituted the AAIB precisely to address the prolonged dispute with ICAO regarding perceived government interference and conflict of interest in DGCA being the regulator, certifying authority and safety inspector also conducting accident inquiries over decades. The formation of HLC reignites this controversy by  interfering with the AAIB inquiry. Air accident investigations are best left to professionals and experts.

At the same time, AIPSN welcomes the broader scope of the HLC inquiry for promotion of aviation safety, excluding investigation into the crash. In Ahmedabad, the aircraft crashed into a 5-storey medical college building just 1.5km from the airport, but there were larger hospitals and establishments in crowded areas nearby, missed only by chance. Recommendations of earlier crash inquiries regarding norms for operations at “table-top” airports, distance of settlements from airports, maintenance of airports, specifications for runway end safety areas (RESA) etc, are crying out for standards, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement in the interests of public, passengers, crew, and aircraft safety. The HLC would indeed perform a valuable service if it addressed these aspects holistically.

Many questions are being raised in the US and elsewhere about the safety record of Boeing, in the context of widely publicized whistleblower accounts of manufacturing malpractices affecting safety of Boeing aircraft. Any Government intervention at this stage will raise unnecessary suspicions around the world.

Satyajit Rath, President, AIPSN

Asha Mishra, General Secretary, AIPSN