Old bias, new tragedy – Firstpost

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) put out a hurried report apparently implying Indian pilot error for the Air India plane crash a month ago, based on a selective interpretation of the preliminary findings from the Indian investigative authorities. It did not emphasise the tendency of the fuel switches to malfunction and disengage despite the provision of locking mechanisms.

In a glaring expression of bias, probably intended to shield aircraft maker Boeing and jet engine maker General Electric, the BBC glossed over the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bulletin from 2018 that pointed out problems with the fuel switches in Boeing 737 jet aircraft. The same switches are also installed in the 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed.

The BBC instead pointed out that the FAA bulletin from 2018 only highlighted the problem that could—and in this instance did—have fatal consequences, but did not mandatorily insist on the fuel switches being fixed or replaced. Instead, the FAA stressed inspection. Was it laxness then on the part of the American FAA, compounded by Boeing? Is even the faulty switch now being sought to be foisted on Air India’s inspection lapses? But the BBC did not raise these questions.

The tendency of the BBC to put out slanted reports on matters relating to India is not new. It has done so time and again, building up quite a long list, this being only the latest example. As a British entity financed by the licence fee paid by ordinary TV-watching Britons—yet not averse to accepting donations from all sorts of entities, including the Chinese and countries that are anti-Semitic—its irresponsible actions against India, probably both a consequence of a large number of employees of Pakistani origin and a colonial hangover, not only harm its own reputation but potentially also Indo-British relations.

These relations are now being taken up a notch by the implementation of a hard-negotiated Free Trade Agreement (FTA). There is also an ongoing negotiation and competition between Rolls-Royce of Britain and Safran of France to collaborate with India to manufacture a brand-new AMCA sixth-generation stealth fighter engine. Other military engine collaborations for the Indian Navy are also in the works, even as the British economy is not doing very well.

A preliminary report released by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 13th—one month after the crash of Air India AI 171 at Ahmedabad—stated that the fuel switches were apparently switched off for both engines. They were switched off, one after the other, just 1-3 seconds after take-off, and then switched on again, probably by the pilots. One engine came back to life, providing some thrust after about 10-14 seconds, but the aircraft could not gain height after that.

The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why he had switched off the fuel, and the other pilot replying that he had not. The plane could not climb beyond 670 metres and crashed into a trainee doctors’ hostel building just 39 seconds after take-off. It burst into flames after three explosions caused by its momentum, the impact, and full tanks of aviation fuel.

Notably, the AAIB preliminary report mentioned that a 2018 US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bulletin concerned the fuel control switch locking mechanisms on Boeing 737 jets. When disengaged, the switches could move more easily through vibration, contact, or other factors. The FAA did not mandate fixes in the bulletin, only recommending inspections to ensure proper locking engagement. This suggests that perhaps both the fuel switches malfunctioned and were not properly locked into place in the ill-fated aircraft before take-off. This is the latest position even as the AAIB has not suggested any further action on the part of Boeing or GE at this time. But the speculation began a month ago.

Soon after the horrible crash of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Flight AI 171 to London Gatwick on 12th June, taking off at 13:39 IST from Ahmedabad, speculation was full blown. It killed 241 people on board and 19 on the ground, with 67 more injured. So, what caused it?

Western ‘aviation experts’ were quick to come on television and cast speculative aspersions of error on the two Indian pilots. Their clear objective, probably funded by Boeing and General Electric (GE) themselves, was to drive the narrative away from the aircraft company and its GE engines that failed. This is because any culpability established by the investigations from the successfully recovered black box, the cockpit flight recorder, and the relevant wreckage would likely result in expensive lawsuits against Boeing and GE. These, if they went against them, would involve billions of dollars in payouts. Objectivity and balance were clearly missing in the early reactions, including those in other media reports, social media posts, podcasts, and so on.

Only one Western expert notably suggested the possibility of software malfunctions in the aircraft.

Indian commentators advanced many other theories, steering clear of blaming the highly experienced but dead pilots. They spoke of software malfunctions too, possible sabotage, maintenance issues, inherent flaws and shortcomings of the aircraft. They cited erstwhile Boeing executives criticising the manufacture and shortcuts taken by Boeing for the Dreamliner. At the same time, this aircraft had been in operation for 11 years prior, and there are some 1,175 Dreamliners operating in various airlines all over the world since it began to fly in 2011.

Early speculations also included possible bird hits on both engines, though later there was no evidence of this found.

Only one passenger in seat 11A escaped miraculously almost unscathed.

The BBC’s quickness to cast suspicion on Indian pilots—while ignoring the long-documented issues with Boeing’s fuel switches, the FAA’s leniency, and even the basic questions of mechanical failure—speaks volumes. Its reporting on India has long carried a whiff of colonial bias, made worse by internal demographics and perhaps external funding. As India and Britain stand poised to deepen economic and defence ties, the BBC’s habitual anti-India stance is not just irresponsible journalism; it is a potential irritant in an increasingly strategic partnership.

The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.