NEW DELHI: In a clear sign of how seriously the Modi government is taking the deadly crash of Air India flight AI 171, it on Friday formed a “high level multi-disciplinary committee” headed by Union home secretary Govind Mohan to examine the causes leading to the June 12 Air India Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight 171 crash. The move came just hours after PM Modi visited the crash site in Ahmedabad.In a late-night statement, the Union aviation ministry said this panel “will examine the existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines (meant) to prevent and handle such occurrences… suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future. The committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future.” It will publish its report within three months or by Sept 13, 2025.
The panel will “ascertain the root cause of the crash. It will assess contributing factors, including mechanical failure, human error, weather conditions, regulatory compliance and other reasons. (It will) recommend necessary improvements and formulate a suitable SOP to prevent such incidents in the future. The SOP shall also include best international practices regarding preventing and handling such incidents,” the order says.It will “assess emergency response of various stakeholders (both Central and state governments), including rescue operations, and coordination among them…. will examine existing guidelines regarding handling such incidents and go through records of previous such aircraft crashes in the country. The committee will formulate a comprehensive SOP and suggest the roles of all agencies and organisations of the Central and State Governments to deal with post-crash incident handling and management. Suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations,” the order says about the role of the panel.Headed by the Union home secretary, it will have as its members the aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha; additional/joint secretary from home ministry; representative from Gujarat government’s home department & State Disaster Response Authority; Ahmedabad police commissioner; Indian Air Force DG (inspection & Safety); DG Bureau of Civil Aviation Security; DG Directorate General of Civil Aviation; intelligence bureau special director; director, government of India’s directorate of forensic science services and any other member as deemed fit including aviation experts, accident investigators and legal advisors.“The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies. (It will) conduct site inspections; interview crew, air traffic controllers and relevant personnel. (It will) collaborate with international agencies if foreign nationals or aircraft manufacturers are involved.”
