The Wall Street Journal and news agency Reuters have reportedly landed in a soup over "selective and unverified" reporting on the June 12 Air India crash that took over 250 lives in Ahmedabad.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has reportedly initiated legal action against the two news bodies for their reports suggesting "pilot error or cockpit confusion" as the cause of the crash.
In a formal legal notice, the FIP has demanded an official apology and criticised the news bodies for "irresponsible" actions at a time when the investigations haven't seen formal closure.
"We are instructed to place on record that the publication of such speculative content is highly irresponsible, and has caused grave and irreparable harm to the reputation of the deceased pilots, who are unable to defend themselves. In doing so, Reuters has also inflicted unnecessary distress on the bereaved families, and diminished the morale of the pilot fraternity, which operates under immense pressure and public responsibility," the legal notice said.
In a statement, Captain CS Randhawa, President of the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), said, "We are happy that this report has come out from the NTSB chairman. The NTSB is also a part of the investigative committee in the AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau). It was very pertinent that NTSB gave a report. They should have given it immediately after the appeal was sent by the AAIB... It is heartening to know that they have issued this statement, which will put all the Western media to rest from carrying out speculations and blaming Indian pilots."
According to FIP, the crash attracted significant public attention, and creating "public anxiety or angst towards the safety of the Indian Aviation Industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts" was not welcome.
The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) is a professional association and trade union that represents commercial pilots in India. Founded in 1967 as a trade union to represent the collective interests of Indian airline pilots and work towards improving safety standards in aviation.
On July 18, the US National Transportation Safety Board had flagged inconsistencies in the reporting details of the Air India crash probe, flagging global media reports as "premature" with lack of proper investigative context. Criticising the premature assumptions, Jennifer Homendy had said, "Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time."
