Why Aviation Minister Naidu Slams Western Media

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu warned the Western media not to peddle unfounded theories on the Ahmedabad airplane crash. Naidu took exception to the Western media trying to push the blame on the senior pilot in connection with the Air India plane crash.

He said he believed in the AAIB report which has confirmed that the fuel supply to both the engines was cut off. However, it has not yet made any comment on whether the fuel supply was cut off intentionally. Naidu said: “They have done a wonderful job decoding the data in India itself. It was a huge success.”

Western media, particularly Wall Street Journal and Reuters, published reports suggesting pilot error. The AAIB made an appeal to all, the Western media in particular, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish, to abstain from spreading false information. The Union civil aviation minister said that it is not good to jump to any conclusion before the final report is out. It is premature, he said and urged for caution. They need to be given time, he said.

He commended India for the progress over the years when it came to probing into plane crashes. Earlier, black box used to be sent abroad to get the data out. This is the first time data is being decoded in India, he said.

AAIB revealed a cockpit recording in which a pilot is heard asking “why did you cut off the fuel?” to which the other responded that he did not do it. While the AAIB report stopped at this conversation without finalizing anything, the Western media took it further and suggested that it was a deliberate act by the senior pilot.