Pilots’ body sends legal notice to Reuters, WSJ over ‘defamatory’ coverage on Air India crash, demands apology

New Delhi: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Friday sent legal notice to western media outlets, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, demanding public apologies and retractions for what it describes as “baseless” and “defamatory” reports on the crash of Air India Flight AI-171, according to news agency ANI.

A preliminary report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the June 12 crash revealed that both fuel control switches on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner moved from the “Run” to the “Cutoff” position shortly after takeoff. Cockpit voice recordings indicated that one pilot questioned the loss of fuel, and the other responded that he had not initiated it. The report does not state who flipped the switches or assign any fault.

What WSJ and Reuters reported about Air India crash

Despite this, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed sources “familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence” and claimed that the captain had intentionally shut off the fuel switches. Reuters published a similar account, implying that the captain may have been at fault.

The FIP has strongly objected to these claims and is seeking formal apologies and corrections from both media outlets.

“Nowhere in the report has it been mentioned that the fuel control switch was turned off due to the pilot’s mistake. They have not read the report properly, and we will take action,” said FIP President Captain CS Randhawa.

Backlash against speculative reporting

Several pilot associations, including the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA-I), have urged media organisations to act responsibly and refrain from premature conclusions that may erode public confidence in India’s aviation sector.

The AAIB also criticised the international coverage, calling for media to show sensitivity toward victims’ families and noting that the investigation remains ongoing. The bureau stressed that it is far too early to determine a definitive cause of the crash.

Echoing this, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is assisting in the investigation, issued a cautionary statement following the reports.

US agency NTSB slams media report on crash probe

“Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative,” said NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. “India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time. We fully support the AAIB’s public appeal, which was released Thursday, and will continue to support its ongoing investigation. All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB.”

This followed a public appeal issued on Thursday by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which raised serious concerns over “selective and unverified reporting” by certain international media outlets in the aftermath of the crash.

The AAIB, operating under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, emphasised that the investigation into the Air India crash is being carried out in a “rigorous and most professional manner, in accordance with AAIB Rules and international protocols.”