Pilot's Father Vows to Defend 260-Victim Air India Crash Captain Ahead of Report

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 10

Pushkar Raj Sabharwal said he will keep defending Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's reputation as investigators prepare to issue a new update nearly a year after the Air India disaster.
July's preliminary report said both Boeing 787 engine fuel switches moved from run to cut-off seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, but it did not identify which pilot spoke on the cockpit recording or find any intentional action.
Reuters and the Wall Street Journal later reported attention was shifting toward the senior pilot, prompting backlash from Indian pilots' groups and an AAIB warning against selective, unverified reporting.
India's Supreme Court later said nobody could blame the captain based on the initial report; his father, a retired aviation safety officer in his 90s, is still seeking to protect his son's name before the next findings.
The 12 June 2025 London-bound crash killed at least 260 people, and its unresolved cause has left victims' families, aviation experts and the pilots' relatives awaiting clearer answers.