‘Reports on crash not based on factual content’: Pilots’ body sends legal notice to Wall Street Journal, Reuters

The president of the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), Captain CS Randhawa, on Saturday called out Wall Street Journal and Reuters, accusing them of not basing their reports on factual content while highlighting Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report on AI-171 plane crash in which more than 250 people were killed.

Captain CS Randhawa’s strong remark followed the FIP’s initiation of legal action through a formal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. They have also sought an official apology.

Strongly criticising the WSJ and Reuters, Randhawa blamed them for “misleading" the public, alleging that their reports are “not based on factual content”. “I would totally blame the Wall Street Journal for misleading the public, they come out with their own conclusions. Are they the investigative body? They’re talking all this crap 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 said.

Captain Randhawa said that FIP had issued a legal notice asking them to issue a statement in the press, giving an explanation of their reportage of the AAIB preliminary reports.

“We strongly condemn it, and we’ve also issued legal notices to the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. We have questioned them how they could jump to conclusions which were not part of the preliminary report of the AAIB and how they could blame the pilots. So we have asked for an explanation and told them to give a statement to the press," he said.

“And if they don’t do it, we’ll see further action," he added.

Captain Randhawa also appreciated National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) statement, which rebuked recent media coverage made over the preliminary investigative report.

FIP President said NTSB statement would put all speculations and blaming of Indian pilots by Western Media to rest.

“We are happy that this report has come out from the NTSB chairman, as NTSB is also a part of the investigative committee in the AIIB. It is very, very heartening to know that they have issued this statement which will put all the Western media to rest, to carry out speculations and blaming Indian pilots," he said.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, in a statement, urged the public and media to await official findings by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the crash incident, before drawing a conclusion based on the preliminary investigative report.

“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released on Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," Homendy stated.

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