Air India Crash: Coursemate of Late Pilot Shares Something Unusual He Noticed about Him
- Captain Deven Kanani, a coursemate of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the late pilot-in-command of the ill-fated Air India flight AI-171, has come to the defence of the deceased
- During an interview, Kanani remembered his time with the 56-year-old and pointed out something unique that he noticed about him
- Sabharwal has been the subject of negative reports accusing him of deliberately crashed the plane, but Kanani disagrees
Don't miss out! Join Legit.ng's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Captain Deven Kanani, a coursemate of the late Air India pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, has defended his late colleague in the wake of allegations that he was responsible for the crash of flight AI-171 on June 12.
Kanani disclosed that he and Sabharwal were trained in the same batch in 1991.
Source: Getty Images
What coursemate said about Air India pilot
In an interview on Republic TV, Kanani, who was at Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi with Sabharwal years ago, said the deceased was very mature and sober among all the pilots he had known.
He refused to believe that Sabharwal might have had a hand in the ill-fated Air India crash. In his words:
"So, we (he and Sabharwal) were together in the same academy. We were trained together in the same batch way back in 1991. We were in the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Fursatganj, Raebareli, that was specially opened to recruit pilots into Indian airlines and Air India at that point of time.
"And, he came out as a very mature and a sober person amongst all the pilots that I had known. So, he would, probably you know, if you are trying to blame him, I will still not believe."
Source: Getty Images
Watch the video below:
Late Sabharwal's coursemate's remark stirs reactions
Legit.ng has compiled some reactions to the late Air India pilot's remarks below:
@billb7696 said:
"You don’t think that having a panelist here who went to school with the captain and considers himself friendly with him isn’t an overt bias in itself? Really??"
@JungleJargon said:
"It’s hard to believe that someone would deliberately cut off both engines the exact moment recovery is not possible. Double engine failure at this exact moment is also hard to believe. It is again hard to believe it took ten seconds before there was an attempt to reignite the engines. It is additionally hard to believe that the preliminary report would be so vague as to what actually happened. There’s no indication of any actual malfunction of the aircraft."
@sureshmelodies said:
"With respect, the ex-pilot's comment seems to overlook a key post-Germanwings regulation: In most countries, including India and Europe, if one pilot leaves the cockpit, a crew member must remain inside until they return.
"This protocol was introduced specifically to prevent solo access and avoid the risk of a deliberate crash while the cockpit is unmanned. So, the idea that the captain could have waited to crash when alone isn't valid under current operating rules."
@Test-h6q7z said:
"The fact the the man ask him why did you turn the engine off tells everything we need to know,I don't know what he is talking about."
@657hero said:
"Having been in the cockpit of aircraft for over 30 years, my experience is that all over the world, whenever there is a crash and pilot dies, the aircraft companies find it convenient to blame pilot and if pilot survives, they say that are considering, first the maintenance error, to blame airline and the last is fault with the aircraft."
Sumeet's long-time friend reacts to his death
Sumeet's friend, Usha, who had also worked with him for a long time, spoke with overwhelming grief after the pilot's death.
She said:
"Captain Sumeet was calm, composed, the kind of man who would have done everything possible to avert a tragedy like this."
Air India pilot's friend breaks silence
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a friend of the late Air India pilot, Clive Kunder, who knew him from school days, had shared how he behaved.
He recounted his flight experience with Clive, saying he was kind-hearted, very humble, and helpful. Clive had 1,100 hours of flying experience before the crash.
"He was a very good friend first, and then in the flight, he was a very good co-pilot. Very good at the job, very jovial, helpful, kind soul, and I knew him from his school days..." his statement partly read.
Joseph Omotayo, the HOD of the Human Interest Desk, contributed to this report, adding Sumeet's friend's reaction to his death.
Source: Legit.ng
