Air India crash pilot's father vows to defend son's reputation

The father of one of the pilots killed in last year's Air India plane crash has said he will continue to defend his son's reputation, days before investigators are expected to release an update on their findings.

Pushkar Raj Sabharwal's comments to the BBC come months after he rejected some media reports that suggested investigators were shifting focus to his son, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the senior pilot in the cockpit.

"He is no more, but I have to protect his reputation," he said.

On 12 June 2025, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad in western India, killing at least 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board.

A preliminary report released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in July last year found that the fuel control switches for both engines had moved from the "run" to the "cut-off" position shortly after take-off, depriving the engines of fuel.

Audio recordings from the cockpit captured one pilot asking the other why he had "cut-off" and the other replying that he had not. Investigators did not identify which pilot made either statement.

At the time of take-off, co-pilot Clive Kunder was flying the aircraft while Capt Sabharwal was monitoring. Investigators have not linked either pilot to the conversation cited in the report, nor found that any action was intentional.

Days after the release of the preliminary report last year, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that new details in the investigation were shifting attention towards the senior pilot in the cockpit - Capt Sabharwal.

"A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight" that crashed last year supports the view that the "captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines", the Reuters report said, citing unnamed sources.

The media reports prompted a strong backlash from pilots' associations in India, which criticised the coverage and rejected suggestions that the senior pilot had caused the crash.

The AAIB also criticised what it called "selective and unverified reporting" by sections of the international media. In a statement issued last year, it said attempts to draw conclusions before the investigation was complete were "irresponsible".

Capt Sabharwal's father later approached India's Supreme Court, seeking an independent investigation into all possible causes of the crash. The court then said that "nobody can blame" the senior pilot and that there was "no suggestion of his fault in the initial report".

However, the media reports and speculation surrounding the crash have been tough to deal with for the family.

"You see, every time an accident takes place, the pilot is blamed. Why? It's the simplest way to close the chapter. He is no more and cannot defend himself," Pushkar Raj, who is his 90s, told the BBC.

Capt Sabharwal was a veteran pilot with three decades of flying experience at Air India. He had logged more than 15,600 flying hours, including nearly 8,600 on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

When the BBC visited his father at his Mumbai home last week, he sat under a wall that had photographs of his late wife, and of Capt Sabharwal wearing his uniform.

Pushkar Raj, who is a retired aviation safety officer, said his son was planning to retire soon so he could care for him and spend more time at home.

"That day, he was positioned for a flight from Ahmedabad. He told me, I'm boarding the aircraft and I'll call you from Gatwick," he recalled.

"And a short while later, everything happened."

He described his son as kind, soft-spoken and deeply devoted to his family.

"His mother used to say he was her Shravan," he said, referring to the mythological Hindu figure Shravan Kumar - known for his undeterred devotion to his parents.

"He was not very talkative, but he always had a smile on his face."

Even while travelling for work, Capt Sabharwal stayed in close touch with his father, Pushkar Raj recalled.

"He will talk to me on reaching the destination, he will inform me, and if he was in the hotel, he would call very often, say four or five times."

"I can say it is a loss, an unbearable loss," he says.

"But I have to bear it. Luckily, the rest of my family is with me and I am not alone."

His daughter and her son moved from Delhi to Mumbai to live with him and care for him.

He said that family, friends and neighbours rallied around him in the days after the crash, helping him through the immediate turmoil after his son's death.

These days, he finds comfort in routine.

Some mornings he goes out for a walk - one of the few times he leaves the house - though he now needs assistance.

The walks remind him of his son, who would accompany him whenever he was in Mumbai, Pushkar Raj says.

Nearly a year after the crash, the families of those who died, aviation experts and the pilots' relatives are awaiting the next findings from investigators.

When asked what he would do if future investigation findings were not in his son's favour, he paused before replying.

"If I am to keep myself alive and quiet, I must forget - try to forget - which is not possible," he said.

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