Premature and speculative: US NTSB Chief slams media on Air India crash reporting

New Delhi:  Calling recent media reports on Air India Ahmedabad crash “premature and speculative,” the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has urged the media and public to wait for the final report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the inquiry into the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

In a statement on X social media platform, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that 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 Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation,” said Homendy, adding that all investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB.

The US NTSB is the federal agency tasked with investigating aviation and major transportation incidents.

Earlier, as certain media houses continued to plant unverified and fake news regarding the Air India Ahmedabad crash, the AAIB cautioned against “selective and unverified reporting”, calling such coverage “irresponsible and potentially damaging to the probe’s integrity”.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that a cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the ill-fated Air India flight, that crashed last month, allegedly indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines.

“It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting,” said AAIB in a statement. “Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing. We urge both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process,” the probe agency added.

According to aviation experts, the NTSB, the FAA, EASA in addition to the AAIB need to investigate to the fullest as to why did the ‘Fuel Switch to Cut Off’.

This will be a complex crash to investigate for the NTSB, AAIB, Boeing, EASA, the Indian DGCA and the UKCAA, and no stone should be left unturned with this investigation, they added.

–IANS