The 5-member AAIB panel leading probe into AI crash

The five-member Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team that probed into the June 12 fatal Air India accident in Ahmedabad, which claimed at least 260 lives, is headed by the agency's director Sanjay Kumar Singh, the bureau has revealed, as it released the list of officers that investigated one of the worst air disasters in decades.

- Neha LM Tripathi

On June 12, the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner began to lose thrust almost immediately after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport and ploughed into a medical college hostel, killing all but one of the 242 onboard and another 19 on the ground.

In a preliminary report released late on Friday, AAIB said the aircraft took off at 08:08:39 UTC (13:38:39 IST) and at about 08:09:05 UTC (13:39:05 IST) one of the pilots transmitted “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”.

Soon after the incident, AAIB director general GVG Yugandhar appointed a 5-member panel to probe the AI-171 crash. Besides Sanjay Kumar Singh, who was appointed the investigator-in-charge, other members were Jasbir Singh Larhga, Vipin Venu Varakoth, Veeraragavan K, and Vaishnav Vijayakumar. A brief profile:

Sanjay Kumar Singh

Currently serving as a director at AAIB, Singh has a 15-year experi-