Ahmedabad

The Wall Street Journal has again tried to shift focus from Boeing by suggesting pilot error in the Air India AI171 crash. But the report adds no new facts and only rehashes the preliminary findings already released by Indian investigators.

Despite earlier warning investigators not to scapegoat pilots, Captain Ranganathan now claims the Air India Flight 171 crash involved intentional interference. Veteran pilot Captain Randhawa, however, calls the preliminary report vague and inconclusive.

Air India informed investigators that while it was in full compliance with all mandatory airworthiness directives and service bulletins for the aircraft, it had not conducted inspections suggested in the 2018 SAIB since they were advisory, and not mandatory.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued warnings in the past about certain Boeing models being vulnerable to what is known as “fuel lock” or inadvertent fuel cut-off issues, caused not by human error, but by faults in the machine.

BBC, Reuters, Daily Mail and others are shaping the narrative in a way that blames the pilots for the Air India plane crash. Without waiting for a full investigation, these international publications are picking selective details from the preliminary report and suggesting that the accident was due to human error.

A deadly crash in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people, has intensified scrutiny on Air India. In recent weeks, the airline has also faced mid-air technical issues, delays, and rising passenger complaints, sparking questions about its safety, service, and management under the Tata Group.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Lab in New Delhi, is currently working intensively to examine data retrieved from the black boxes of Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed in Ahmedabad earlier this month.

Three tunnel boring machines critical for Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train's underground section are stuck at a Chinese port, raising concerns of delay. The government has involved the Ministry of External Affairs, as the machines are vital for tunneling beneath Thane Creek.

A report by the US stock market regulator SEC says that Boeing has spent more than $200 million (₹1700 crore+) on lobbying from 2010-2022. $26 million (₹225 crore) has been spent in 2021 and 2022 alone.

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Sunday said that the DNA of 45 deceased have been matched with their relatives, and confirmed that the death toll in the Ahmedabad plane crash stands at 274.