Air India crash: Why were pilots excluded from AAIB probe? FIP urges public not to lend credence to such 'premature conclusions'

Days after the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA-India) alleged that the preliminary report by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was "being driven in a direction presuming the guilt of pilots", the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Wednesday expressed its dissatisfaction over pilot representatives being excluded from the probe. The FIP is a pilots' group with more than 6,000 members, 

Though the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation pointed out that the investigation is ongoing, FIP objected to the way in which the preliminary report has been interpreted and presented publicly and that it lacks comprehensive data.

FIP said the report is selectively emphasising on paraphrase cockpit voice recordings, adding that this implies error on the pilot side and raises questions about their competence and integrity. Calling the approach neither objective nor complete, the association said, "We therefore urge our members and the general public not to lend credence to such premature conclusions."

This comes after ALPA-India, representing more than 800 pilots of airlines and helicopter companies in the country, sought transparency on the AAIB preliminary report as it does not have anyone's signatures on it. "We had asked for our representation in the investigation panel," ALPA-India President Sam Thomas had told PTI.

Pointing out that ALPA-India members can contribute meaningfully to the probe, the body is looking at legal options to ensure representation in the investigation team. 

"We are once again surprised at the secrecy surrounding these investigations. We are also reiterating the fact that suitably qualified personnel are not taken on board for these crucial investigations," ALPA-India said in a statement on July 12.

ALPA-India is a member of the International Federation of Airline Pilots' Association (IFALPA), which has around 1 lakh members from more than 100 countries. In June, IFALPA offered to provide technical expertise to AAIB. 

India