Please, Don’t Blame the Pilots

A month back, I had written about the fatal Air India crash, that shocked the world. If you don't know, on June 12th, an Air India flight Boeing 787 Dreamliner, headed to London, crashed barely 30 seconds into the take off, and everybody perished, except one survivor. The death toll was close to 270.

Now, the authorities are analyzing the cause of the disaster and reports are trickling in. It's stated that two fuel cut-off switches were found in "cut-off" position soon after the take-off. It prevented fuel supply to the engines caused them to lose thrust.

It’s sad to see that they are blaming the pilots. Two evidences are being cited.

In the black box recording, one pilot asked the other, “Did you switch it off?” and the other said he didn’t.

One pilot was undergoing depression and mental health issues.

Based on this two situations, they are now claiming pilot error. I don’t like how the blame is being laid solely on the pilots. They are being made scapegoats.

Let me be clear:

Devices need regular maintenance. Even small machines break down, if not properly cared for. They develop technical snags.

Humans lie. We often shift the blame to others to escape penalties.

We can still function even if you’re facing mental health struggles.

Pilots are like doctors, empaths. You can’t imagine the risks they take daily while carrying hundreds of passengers safely to their destinations. If they were truly in the grip of serious mental issues, they would resign or isolate themselves. They wouldn’t risk others’ lives. Empathy is inherent to their profession.

I don’t believe a pilot would crash a plane out of mental instability.

It’s more likely that a technical snag occurred. Maybe out of panic, while troubleshooting, they tested one button after another.

But it’s more likely that circuit malfunctioned. An expert even suggested that water may have leaked into the electronics, damaging the circuitry. That is very possible.

I’ve worked in a genetic testing laboratory where I operated 30 devices every day. I was constantly in fear: What if one device stops working?

This wasn’t just ordinary research — it was genetic testing and DNA sequencing of embryos from IVF labs. Based on my sequencing results, the next day, clients would be implanted with that embryo. One mistake, one faulty device, and the consequences were huge.

The devices came with warranties, but we weren’t properly trained to troubleshoot. We were simply told to use them. Over time, they were likely to lose calibration or malfunction. It was just like our home appliances which needs battery, filter, or other parts changes. They all need care.

Why don’t we accept this for aircraft too?

So no, it’s not the pilots. It’s a maintenance issue. People are just too quick to blame others.

If an advanced stage cancer patient is brought to the hospital and surgery

fails, will you blame the doctors? That they couldn’t save the patient after being handed a hopeless case? Will you cite the doctors’ mental condition as the problem?

No. So why blame the pilots? I read someone in social media saying that the plane was already a flying coffin. I agree, due to poor maintenance.

I am saddened when I see the Air India crash being blamed entirely on the pilots. Mental health issues do not make someone a criminal. At least not in the Indian mindset, due to strong family bonds.

Let’s not malign the departed pilots.

Share your view on it.