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Reuters published an article dated July 17 with a headline: ‘Air India cockpit recording suggests captain cut fuel to engines before crash, source says’.
The Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. (File image: PTI)
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) served a legal notice to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters over their “baseless” and “defamatory” coverage of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of over 260 people.
A preliminary report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the June 12 crash of the Dreamliner found that both fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 flipped to “Cutoff” shortly after takeoff. When one pilot asked why the fuel had been shut off, the other responded that he had not done it.
The report does not indicate who toggled the switches or assign any blame.
However, Reuters published an article dated July 17 with a headline: ‘Air India cockpit recording suggests captain cut fuel to engines before crash, source says’.
The article cited a report by WSJ, which reads: ‘New details in Air India crash probe shift focus to senior pilot’. It cited unnamed sources “familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence” and claimed that the captain deliberately turned off the fuel switches.
Despite the official AAIB report on the Air India crash steering clear of assigning blame or identifying who toggled the fuel switches, WSJ appeared to have had access to source-based information, confidently making assertions nowhere to be found in the actual findings.
Reuters, citing another major Western media outlet, echoed the same narrative.
Pilots’ Body Slams Report
Referring to the report by Reuters, the pilots body said, “Reuters shall desist from publishing or circulating any content that speculates on the cause of the crash or attributes fault to any individuals, especially deceased pilots, in the absence of official confirmation and final report.”
It further called the report “speculative content”, which is “highly irresponsible”, causing significant harm to the reputation of the pilots who are not alive to defend themselves.
“In doing so, Reuters has also inflicted unnecessary distress on the bereaved family and diminished the morale of the pilots’ fraternity,” it added.
“Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot’s mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action,” said FIP President Captain CS Randhawa.
FIP asked Reuters to stop publishing speculative content about the Air India crash, particularly content that suggests blame without official confirmation.
It has also asked the publication to amend its July 17 article to include a disclaimer, remove any statements that imply fault, and issue a clarification stating that no final conclusions have been made by investigating authorities and that the article was based on secondary sources.
The FIP also noted that the Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had cautioned international media on Thursday against selective reporting, calling such coverage irresponsible while the investigation is still underway.
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be…Read More
Ronit Singh, Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking News team. He has a keen focus on Indian politics and aims to cover unexplored angles. Ronit is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be… Read More
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