Air India Crash: DGCA Seeks Pilot Training Logs, Answers on Training, Maintenance & Safety

India’s aviation safety watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has escalated its investigation into the June 12 crash of Air India Flight 171 - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that tragically plunged into BJP Medical College hostel shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming 241 lives onboard and at least 38 on the ground. The DGCA has summoned Air India’s engineering department for a meeting to address technical problems reported in Boeing 787 aircraft. The discussion aims to review the issues and ensure compliance with safety and operational standards.

1. Training Documentation: Air India must submit detailed training logs for both pilots — Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (8,200 hours) and First Officer Clive Kunder (1,100 hours) — and the flight dispatcher involved in AI 171.

2. Flight School Directives: DGCA has instructed all flight training schools in India to conduct strict compliance checks on training protocols and safety standards.

3. Safety Reinforcement: Schools must review and strengthen adherence to aviation safety best practices.

The regulator has directed every flight training institution in India to undertake “strict compliance checks” covering training protocols, licensing, and operational standards.

Air India plane crash

Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171, crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday night. The crash killed 241 people on board, and several others on the ground as it plunged into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad. There is a lone survivor in the tragedy, a passenger seated on 11A.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the fatal crash. The Centre has also formed a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary, including a representative of Gujarat, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the Additional Secretary from MHA, among others.

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