MUMBAI – An Indian pilot group has submitted a letter to the aviation ministry suggesting that an electrical failure, rather than pilot action, could have caused the deadly Air India crash last year.

The submission by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), which has more than 5,000 members, comes ahead of the expected final report into the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed 260 people shortly after takeoff on 12 June 2025.

As required by international law, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) published a preliminary report on 12 July, one month after the disaster, when the plane exploded into flames shortly after take off from Ahmedabad in western India.

That 15-page document said the fuel supply to the jet’s engines was cut off moments before impact, raising questions about possible pilot error.

It did not mention whether the fuel switches could have been turned off by a pilot manoeuvre or by any malfunction.

The FIP letter, dated 1 May and seen by AFP, offers what it calls a “technical note” that “suggests a credible cause” requiring further investigation.

“A prelift-off electrical disturbance could have caused unintended relay operation and dual engine fuel cut-off without pilot input”, it read.

“Media reports…continue to suggest pilot action. However, the International Civil Aviation Organisation… requires all credible technical causes be ruled out first.”

The final report is expected by next month, within a year of the crash.

-Nampa/AFP