AAIB Slams Speculation Over AI Plane Crash

Calls unverified reports by some foreign news outlets as irresponsible

- Daanish Anand

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday slammed what it called speculative foreign media reports regarding the London-bound Air India (AI) flight that crashed soon after lift-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June, after international news outlets such as The Wall Street Journal published source-based reports that indicated that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal likely turned off fuel switches seconds before the tragedy.

The bureau urged the public and media organizations alike to refrain from drawing premature conclusions based on its initial probe into the AI-operated Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crash in which more than 240 people perished, calling such actions as irresponsible and insensitive to the victims' families.

"It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing," the AAIB said.