{ AIR INDIA FLIGHT 171 CRASH } Unbiased: Aviation minister backs AAIB’s probe

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu backed the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) report and probe into the crash of Air India flight 171, terming the body “unbiased”, even as several lawmakers questioned him on the accident and on air safety.

- Neha LM Tripathi

His comments in Parliament came in the wake of a raft of reports in western media that have blamed the commander of the aircraft for the crash, claiming that he switched off fuel to the engines. AAIB's preliminary report identifies the fuel switches being in cutoff position as the reason for the engine failure, and paraphrases a conversation between the two pilots, with one asking the other whether he cut the fuel, and receiving a negative response.