Air India crash: Who is on the AAIB team that released the report on Flight AI-171?

The Air India crash in Ahmedabad last month, which resulted in the death of 260 people, has put the spotlight on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) as it released its preliminary report into the deadly crash on Saturday, July 12.

Over the weekend, a five-member expert team, led by 56-year-old Sanjay Kumar Singh, released a
15-page report providing a detailed timeline of Air India flight AI171’s final minutes, confirming that both engines shut down seconds after lift-off and that neither pilot acknowledged switching them off.

The AAIB’s preliminary report stated that the
fuel switches of the two engines were cut off immediately, with a time gap of one second after take-off. However, the report hasn’t been able to determine why the fuel cut-off switches for both engines moved to “cutoff” in-flight.

While questions are still being asked about the report, we move our focus to what exactly is the AAIB and how capable are they of dealing with such situations?

Understanding the AAIB

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is a government agency within the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Its main purpose is to probe aircraft accidents and serious incidents in India’s airspace. The agency was set up in 2012 with the purpose of carrying out investigation into accidents, serious incidents and incidents. In fact, the AAIB’s mandate is strictly safety-focused: to prevent and not to punish.

Incidentally, prior to the formation of the AAIB, probes such as the Air India one, were handled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which also regulates airlines. This could result in a bias, which led to the formation of the AAIB.

Until date, the AAIB has carried out investigations in over 150 crashes in the country. It also probed the 2020 Kozhikode crash in which 21 people died after the plane overshot the runway.

But, what are AAIB’s functions?

The AAIB is tasked to carry out investigations into categories of accidents, serious incidents and incidents. Rule 3 of Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 clearly states that the objective of investigations carried out by the AAIB is prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.

In cases of accidents, the AAIB is responsible for carrying out probes, which includes collecting evidence such as the plane’s black boxes, flight data and witness statements. Once this is done, the AAIB then presents a draft report. Once it is consulted and deliberated upon, the final report is made public and published on the official website. The accepted ‘Final Investigation Reports’ are also forwarded to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the specialised agency of the United Nations, and the states participating in the investigation.

The AAIB also publishes safety studies from time to time.

The AAIB reports are of significance in the aftermath of a crash or accident. It helps to improve air safety. In fact, recommendations made from previous reports have helped in drafting newer rules, better pilot training and even changes in aircraft design.

Who’s who in the AAIB team probing Air India crash

Following
Air India flight AI171’s crash in June in Ahmedabad, the AAIB formed a five-member team to probe the incident. Here’s who’s in the team and who’s heading it:

1) Sanjay Kumar Singh: Helming the team investigating the Air India crash is AAIB director director Sanjay Kumar Singh. He has a 15-year experience in aircraft accident investigation and aviation safety. At 56, Singh has managed investigations into 15 accidents or serious incidents and has overseen the classification of at least 300 reported occurrences.

2) Jasbir Singh Larhga: Working with the AAIB for a decade, Larhga has been involved in various aircraft accident investigations, including the crash in India’s Kozhikode in 2020. He also worked with the DGCA as well as with Pawan Hans and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

3) Vipin Venu Varakoth: Varakoth is an Assistant Director of Air Safety at DGCA based in Mumbai for more than seven years. He had also served as Air Safety Officer for nearly seven years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

4) Veeraragavan K: An assistant director of air safety at DGCA in Mumbai for close to four years, he has also served as an Air Safety Officer in the national capital for nine years. His LinkedIn page reveals that he also worked as an analysis engineer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for a little over a year in Chennai.

5) Vaishnav Vijayakumar: An Air Safety Officer at the DGCA, Vijaykumar has been part of various aircraft accident/incident investigations.

With inputs from agencies