Pilots' body sends legal notice to Wall Street Journal, Reuters over AI crash reports

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has sent legal notices to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters, accusing both the global media outlets of not basing their reports on facts while highlighting the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report on the AI-171 plane crash.

The move has come close on the heels of reports by a few US-based publications alleging the action by one of the pilots was most likely the cause of the crash.

Criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) president Captain CS Randhawa said their news reports were “misleading” and factually incorrect.

The Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, en route from Ahmedabad to London crashed shortly after takeoff on 12 June, killing 260.

Meanwhile, after the AAIB questioned the WSJ report, United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) head Jennifer Homendy has also called the recent media reports on the crash "premature" and "speculative".

“The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB,” Homendy said in a statement.

Earlier, speaking to agencies, Randhawa said NTSB’s statement would put all speculations to rest on “blaming Indian pilots”. He also said the WSJ was to be blamed for misleading the public. “…they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They’re saying all this rubbish around the world. They are not the investigative body, and the reports are not based on any factual content, which is mentioned in the preliminary report. So, how can they jump to conclusions and give press statements around the world?” he was quoted as saying by agencies.