NEW DELHI: A leading Indian pilots' association has called for further investigation into last year’s deadly Air India crash, suggesting that an electrical failure — rather than pilot error — may have been the cause of the disaster.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), representing over 5,000 members, submitted a letter to the aviation ministry presenting a technical analysis ahead of the final investigation report.

The crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people.

A preliminary report released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) indicated that the aircraft’s engine fuel supply was cut off moments before impact, raising concerns about possible pilot involvement.

However, the pilots’ group has challenged this assumption, proposing that a pre-takeoff electrical disturbance could have triggered an unintended system malfunction, leading to both engines shutting down without pilot input.

The FIP emphasized that international aviation guidelines require all possible technical causes to be thoroughly examined before attributing blame.

It urged authorities to treat the electrical failure theory as a testable hypothesis and conduct detailed technical analysis to rule out system faults.

The final investigation report into the crash is expected next month, within one year of the incident.