India’s Supreme Courtroom has dominated that the pilot of an Air India flight sure for London Gatwick was not accountable for the devastating crash that killed 260 folks, together with 52 British nationals. The judgment brings reduction to the pilot’s household after months of hypothesis surrounding the reason for the tragedy.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, working as Flight AI 128, went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June, crashing into a close-by medical faculty.
Of the tons of on board, just one particular person survived.
Courtroom Guidelines Pilot ‘Not To Blame’ For Lethal Gatwick-Certain Crash
Justice Surya Kant, delivering the ruling, mentioned that ‘no one can blame’ Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, for the deadly crash. The court docket acknowledged that the accessible proof didn’t assist claims that the pilot was at fault.
‘It is extraordinarily unlucky, this crash, however you shouldn’t carry this burden that your son is being blamed. No person can blame him for something,’ Justice Kant informed Sabharwal’s aged father, Pushkaraj, throughout the listening to.
The ruling follows months of debate inside India’s aviation sector, the place officers and the general public alike had sought readability on who, or what, was accountable for the catastrophic incident.
This debate was fueled partly by a preliminary accident report that pointed to a doable system error within the cockpit.
Investigation Factors To Doable Gasoline System Error
A preliminary report by India’s Plane Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), launched in July, discovered that the cockpit gasoline management switches had been moved to the ‘reduce off’ place simply earlier than the crash.
Audio recovered from the cockpit captured one pilot asking the opposite why the switches had been reduce off, a query met with denial.
Though US investigators initially believed Captain Sabharwal might have by accident activated the switches, India’s high court docket dominated that no proof substantiated this idea.
The AAIB’s findings, it mentioned, didn’t assign blame to any particular person.
The federal government has since insisted that its investigation was ‘very clear’ and ‘very thorough’, rejecting allegations that essential knowledge had been mishandled.
Household’s Plea For Justice
Captain Sabharwal’s father, Pushkaraj, has been a vocal advocate for his late son’s exoneration. He beforehand accused investigators of unfairly suggesting pilot error and known as for an impartial probe headed by a retired Supreme Courtroom choose.
A brand new plea from the household will likely be heard on 10 November, with hopes of creating an neutral evaluate panel to evaluate the crash investigation in full.
Buddies and colleagues have described the veteran pilot, who logged greater than 15,000 hours of flight expertise, as a ‘thorough gentleman’ devoted to each his occupation and his household. A neighbour recalled seeing the pilot strolling hand in hand together with his aged father at any time when he was off obligation.
UK Households Amongst The Victims
Among the many 260 victims have been 52 British nationals travelling to the UK. Lots of the passengers have been reportedly visiting relations in Gujarat and have been returning to London when the crash occurred.
British officers have expressed assist for the households of these misplaced, although no official UK inquiry has been launched. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has mentioned it continues to liaise with Indian authorities, monitoring the continued investigation.
In a submit on X (previously Twitter), the Airline Pilots’ Affiliation of India(ALPA India) shared an announcement praising the Supreme Courtroom’s determination, calling it a victory for professionalism and integrity in aviation. The affiliation wrote:
‘Right this moment, the Supreme Courtroom of India reaffirmed what we now have at all times identified: fact, ability, and integrity can’t be clouded by hypothesis. No blame was discovered for the pilot of Air India Flight AI171, vindicating Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and his crew, [honouring] each pilot who stands because the final line of security between sky and earth’.
In solidarity: for Pilots, by Pilots. Right this moment we have a good time the integrity of our occupation and stand united for transparency.
Here is to the reality, and to the unwavering spirit of aviators. pic.twitter.com/CymwsV3HYf
— ALPA INDIA (@In_Alpa) November 7, 2025
The affiliation’s message has since been broadly shared by pilots and aviation professionals, who say the ruling restores dignity to those that function underneath immense strain within the skies.
Ongoing Questions Over Air Security
Whereas the Supreme Courtroom’s determination clears the pilot of blame, the ruling raises additional questions on mechanical integrity and cockpit procedures aboard Air India’s fleet. Aviation analysts say the findings underscore the necessity for improved safeguards towards inadvertent system errors.
For households of the victims, each in India and the UK, the ruling affords a measure of readability after months of uncertainty. Whereas it clears Captain Sabharwal of blame, it additionally underscores the necessity for continued transparency and accountability in main air crash investigations.
Initially printed on IBTimes UK