A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre to release complete data retrieved from the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which went down in flames in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing over 260 people, ANI reported Friday.
The petition, filed by the NGO Safety Matters Foundation, raises concerns over the preliminary report issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
It argues that the report has not shared all data gathered during the initial investigation, despite requirements under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
The plea also highlights that the report does not include or acknowledge the account of the sole surviving passenger, 40-year-old businessman Vishwashkumar Ramesh from Leicester.
Also Read: Air India crash victim families sue Boeing, Honeywell
His testimony, the NGO claimed, is crucial to understanding the sequence of events that led to the crash.
Boeing dragged to court in US
Matter in SC comes after families of four passengers who died in the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad filed a lawsuit in a US court against Boeing and Honeywell International, alleging that a faulty fuel cutoff switch.
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court by The Lanier Law Firm, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for wrongful deaths. According to the law firm, “flight data indicates that an Air India pilot accidentally shut off fuel to Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engines, causing a complete loss of thrust necessary to complete the takeoff.”
Also Read: Hyderabad-bound AI Express flight makes emergency landing in Vizag over suspected bird hit
The switches, manufactured by Honeywell and installed by Boeing, are designed with a locking mechanism to prevent unintended cutoff. The lawsuit argues these were placed in a “high traffic” area near thrust levers that pilots use during takeoff. “In addition, documents show that both Honeywell and Boeing knew the locking mechanism could easily be turned off inadvertently or could be missing altogether,” it said.
Separately, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal who piloted the ill-fated flight, has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry and AAIB demanding a formal inquiry. In his letter, he said, “These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup and the reputation of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They tarnish Captain Sabharwal's reputation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed to a citizen of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.”
What AAIB's preliminary investigation showed
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report had stated that the fuel switches were cut off within a second of takeoff, causing confusion in the cockpit.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off (the switch). The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the AAIB noted.
Amid speculations about the cause of the fatal crash after the release of its preliminary probe report on July 12, AAIB had asserted that it was too early to draw any "definite conclusions" on what led to the accident as the investigation was still on and that the final report will come out with the root causes. The probe agency had also urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.
The petition, filed by the NGO Safety Matters Foundation, raises concerns over the preliminary report issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
It argues that the report has not shared all data gathered during the initial investigation, despite requirements under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
The plea also highlights that the report does not include or acknowledge the account of the sole surviving passenger, 40-year-old businessman Vishwashkumar Ramesh from Leicester.
Also Read: Air India crash victim families sue Boeing, Honeywell
His testimony, the NGO claimed, is crucial to understanding the sequence of events that led to the crash.
Boeing dragged to court in US
Matter in SC comes after families of four passengers who died in the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad filed a lawsuit in a US court against Boeing and Honeywell International, alleging that a faulty fuel cutoff switch.
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court by The Lanier Law Firm, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for wrongful deaths. According to the law firm, “flight data indicates that an Air India pilot accidentally shut off fuel to Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s engines, causing a complete loss of thrust necessary to complete the takeoff.”
Also Read: Hyderabad-bound AI Express flight makes emergency landing in Vizag over suspected bird hit
The switches, manufactured by Honeywell and installed by Boeing, are designed with a locking mechanism to prevent unintended cutoff. The lawsuit argues these were placed in a “high traffic” area near thrust levers that pilots use during takeoff. “In addition, documents show that both Honeywell and Boeing knew the locking mechanism could easily be turned off inadvertently or could be missing altogether,” it said.
Separately, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal who piloted the ill-fated flight, has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry and AAIB demanding a formal inquiry. In his letter, he said, “These innuendos have very adversely affected my health and mental setup and the reputation of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. They tarnish Captain Sabharwal's reputation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed to a citizen of India under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.”
What AAIB's preliminary investigation showed
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report had stated that the fuel switches were cut off within a second of takeoff, causing confusion in the cockpit.
“In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off (the switch). The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the AAIB noted.
Amid speculations about the cause of the fatal crash after the release of its preliminary probe report on July 12, AAIB had asserted that it was too early to draw any "definite conclusions" on what led to the accident as the investigation was still on and that the final report will come out with the root causes. The probe agency had also urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.
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