Civil aviation minister backs AAIB, slams ‘vested’ western media reports on Air India crash probe

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Sunday (July 20) said that the government would not draw any conclusions until it receives the final report on the Air India crash in Ahmedabad. He appealed to western media not to speculate and praised the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for being able to decode the black box data in India.

“AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially Western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish. I believe in AAIB. I believe in the work that they are doing. They have done a wonderful job in decoding the whole black box and getting the data out in India itself,” Kinjarapu said.

He labeled it a great success, pointing that previously, the black box would have to be shipped overseas for data recovery. “It was a huge success for us because previous incidents, whenever the black box was seen to be damaged, it was always sent abroad to get the data out. But this is the first time that successfully AAIB has decoded everything. The data has been here. The preliminary report has also been seen,” the minister further said.

Calling for caution until the investigation is complete, the minister said drawing conclusions at this stage would be inappropriate. “Making any comments until the final report has come, I don't think it is a good exercise on behalf of anyone. We are also very cautious and studying the report thoroughly, and whatever necessary needs to be done in terms of safety, we are ready to do it,” said the civil aviation minister.

He again stressed on patience and confirmed the government's assurance towards aviation safety. “Regarding the incident and investigation, we have to wait for the final report before we say anything.” The AAIB is re-examining the circumstances of the Air India crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12. The initial findings are being scrutinised and the final report is likely to provide a better insight into the causes and required safety measures.