‘Both Pilots Excellent’: Tata Sons Chief Chandrasekaran Urges Patience Amid Crash Speculation

‘Both Pilots Excellent’: Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Wednesday "apologised" for the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week that claimed more than 270 lives.

In an exclusive interview with the Group Editor-in-Chief of Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, Navika Kumar, Chandrasekaran said, "It is an extremely difficult situation where I have no words to express to console any of the families of those who died."

“I deeply regret that this accident happened in a Tata-run airline. And I feel very sorry. All we can do is to be with the families at this time, grieve with them, and we will do everything to support them at this hour and beyond,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement.

When asked about the possible causes of the accident and whether Air India had any initial findings, he said, “One would have to wait for the probe to conclude.”

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The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is currently leading the investigation, with a high-level government-appointed committee also involved. Chandrasekaran indicated that preliminary findings could take up to a month.

On the pilots' credentials, Chandrasekaran stated, “Both pilots were exceptional. Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, and the first officer, Clive (Kundar), had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience. What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that.”

Over 270 people were killed on June 12 when a London-bound Air India plane -- a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner -- carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and crashed less than a minute after takeoff.

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He said that the Tata group is examining the possibility of establishing a trust to support the families of the crash victims.

“There are structures we want to put in place. One of the things that we have been thinking about is to create a… say for example, a 171 trust, and then what will be available to them to look after. But there are many things, it’s not only the financial need,” he said.

The Tatas have already announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the kin of people who died in the crash.

“There may be other needs. So, we have to think through and then create the trust and other functioning infrastructure so that we can be with these families. Some will not need any help. Some will need some kind of help. Some will need emotional help. We don’t know. We have to find this out,” he added.

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