Ahmedabad plane crash: Pilot's 91-year-old father demands fresh probe

NEW DELHI: The father of the pilot who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash has written to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, demanding an independent and impartial investigation into the accident. Captain Sumeet Agarwal died in the accident. His father, 91-year-old Pushkaraj Sabharwal, wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry. “A thorough investigation is essential to prevent such tragedies from recurring. The preliminary investigation report talks about the actions taken in the cockpit. The report states that my son deliberately caused the accident. An attempt is being made to tarnish my son’s name. Captain Sumeet Agarwal has not caused a single accident in his 25 years of service. It should be checked whether it was the fault of the Boeing aircraft. Information that could implicate my son should not be given to the media. If my request is rejected, legal action will be taken against the Centre,” the pilot’s father warned in the letter.

The Ahmedabad plane crash took place on July 12. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had said in its preliminary investigation report that the accident occurred due to the interruption of fuel flow to the engines. It also pointed out that the fuel control switches had been moved from the 'run' position to the 'cutoff' position. This raised questions about whether the pilots made a mistake.