Overview
- The mortuary account, which surfaced Monday through Indian outlets citing the Daily Mail, says Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was found holding the control yoke after the Ahmedabad crash that killed 260 people and left one survivor.
- Aviation representatives, including India’s Air Pilots Federation, say the reported body position could suggest the captain was trying to save the aircraft rather than acting with intent.
- A preliminary AAIB report last July said fuel to both engines was cut off within one second of each other and recorded a cockpit exchange in which one pilot asked, “Why did you cut off?” and the other replied, “I didn’t.”
- Pilot groups have flagged technical questions for investigators, citing manufacturer data about the Ram Air Turbine—a pop-out backup power unit—that they say may not align with the recorded timeline, and pointing to CCTV frames they believe could show the unit’s door opening during the takeoff roll.
- Institutional responses continue to diverge as the captain’s family and pilot federations challenge the preliminary findings in the Supreme Court, while the civil aviation minister says there has been no manipulation and urges the public to await the final report next month.