RS Sandhu, Who Took Delivery of Crashed Air India Jet in 2013, Joins Probe: Reports

Captain RS Sandhu, a former senior executive at Air India, has nearly four decades of experience in the aviation industry. He previously served as the airline’s Director of Operations and was a designated examiner for the Boeing 787-8 fleet in 2013.

Ahmedabad: Amid rising speculations and international media scrutiny over the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has roped in Veteran pilot RS Sandhu to probe what led to the crash. Captain Sandhu, a designated examiner for Air India's Boeing 787-8 fleet, had received the now-crashed VT-ANB aircraft when it was delivered in 2013. 

Who is RS Sandhu?

Captain RS Sandhu, a former senior executive at Air India, has nearly four decades of experience in the aviation industry. He previously served as the airline’s Director of Operations and was a designated examiner for the Boeing 787-8 fleet in 2013. He now runs an aviation consultancy called Aviazione.

Due to his expertise and deep knowledge of the Boeing 787, Sandhu has been brought in to assist with the ongoing investigation into the recent Air India crash. His inclusion comes after pilot unions raised concerns about the lack of technical experts on the team. The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has also repeatedly requested that pilots be involved in the probe.

Civil Aviation Minister Urges Restrain 

The AAIB has not disclosed the names of the other experts involved. The probe is being led by 56-year-old Sanjay Kumar Singh and includes five members with experience in fields like piloting, engineering, aviation medicine, psychology, and flight data analysis. Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu has urged restraint and cautioned against drawing premature conclusions.

He stressed that no comments should be made until the final investigation report is released, emphasising the need to respect the formal investigation process. "The data is here. The preliminary report has also been seen, but making any comments until the final report has come -- I don't think it is a good exercise on behalf of anyone. That's why we are also very cautious," he told ANI. His remarks come amid reports, particularly Western media outlets, suggesting that pilot error was a factor in the incident. 

Naidu emphasised the need for responsible reporting and respect for the formal process being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). "You've seen that AAIB has made an appeal also to all the media houses, especially the western media houses, who might have certain vested interest in the kind of articles or the reports that they are trying to publish," the minister noted, asserting confidence in the AAIB's efforts. 

According to the AAIB’s preliminary report, both engines’ fuel switches were turned off just seconds after takeoff. The cockpit voice recorder captured First Officer Clive Kunder asking Captain Sumeet Sabharwal why the fuel was cut. The captain reportedly responded that he hadn’t done it.