India's top pilot body issues legal notice to WSJ, Reuters over AI-171 crash coverage, seeks apology

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has sent a stern legal notice to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters, accusing the global media giants of publishing misleading and speculative stories about the Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed over 250 people last month.

FIP President Captain CS Randhawa criticised the reports for lacking a basis in the facts outlined in the preliminary report from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

“They are not the investigative body, so how can they jump to conclusions?” Randhawa was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

“They’re spreading all this around the world that’s not even in the report. It’s totally misleading.”

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The Western media outlets suggested that the crash might have resulted from errors or actions by the cockpit crew, claims the FIP says were entirely absent from the AAIB’s findings.

FIP seeks apology from media giants

The FIP’s notice demands a public explanation and a formal apology from the news organisations, pressing them to justify their reporting.

“We’ve asked them to explain how they arrived at conclusions that aren’t in the preliminary report. If they fail to do that, we’ll consider further legal action,” Randhawa stated.

The uproar led to a response from Jennifer Homendy, Chairwoman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is assisting the AAIB in the investigation.

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Homendy labelled the media coverage “premature and speculative,” stressing that it was inappropriate to draw conclusions while the investigation is ongoing.

“Investigations of this magnitude take time… All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB,” she said in her official statement.

Randhawa praised the NTSB’s stance, calling it a vital endorsement of the professionalism of Indian pilots and a sharp rebuke to reckless reporting.

“It’s heartening that the NTSB issued this statement. It puts to rest all the blame being unfairly placed on Indian pilots,” he said.

India’s AAIB recently issued a preliminary report on the AI-171 crash but stopped short of assigning blame or reaching final conclusions.

The full investigation is still in progress, with such probes typically taking months to complete. The AAIB also made a public plea, urging the media and the public to avoid speculation and allow investigators to conduct their work thoroughly.