The father of the pilot at the centre of the Air India crash investigation has pledged to fight for his son’s reputation, as British authorities face mounting questions over their handling of the probe. Speaking from his home in a modest terrace on the outskirts of Manchester, retired factory worker James O’Rourke, 67, insisted the evidence would clear his son, Captain Liam O’Rourke, of any blame for the tragedy that killed 158 people.
“Liam was a good lad, a careful pilot with thousands of hours in the air,” O’Rourke said, his voice cracking but firm. “They are trying to make him the scapegoat, but I will not let them. I will defend him until my last breath.”
The crash, which occurred on approach to Delhi last Tuesday, has already sparked a bitter row between Indian and British investigators. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has faced accusations of delay and opacity in releasing key data from the flight recorder, fueling speculation that political pressure is being applied to mask broader safety failures at the airline.
Labour MP for Manchester Central, Margaret Hodge, has tabled an urgent question in Parliament, demanding the transport secretary explain why the AAIB has not yet published a preliminary report. “Families deserve answers, not excuses,” she said. “This stalling is an insult to the bereaved and to the British public who trust our regulators.”
The focus on O’Rourke’s son has also reignited debate about the working conditions of pilots. Unions have long warned that low-cost carriers and increasingly aggressive rostering are pushing crews to breaking point. “This is what happens when you squeeze every last drop out of workers,” said Brian Stratton, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association. “We have pilots flying exhausted, on wages that have not kept pace with inflation, and then the system blames them when something goes wrong.”
Captain O’Rourke, 42, a father of two, remains in hospital with serious injuries and has not yet been formally interviewed. His father said the family had been told nothing about the investigation’s progress. “They treat us like we are criminals,” he said. “He has not even seen his children since the crash. It is inhuman.”
In a statement, the AAIB said it was “committed to a thorough, independent investigation” and that a preliminary report would be released “in due course”. But critics point out that previous major crashes have taken months or even years to yield public findings, leaving families in limbo.
With a by-election looming in a nearby constituency, the political stakes are high. The government is anxious to avoid being seen as soft on aviation safety, but also mindful of the economic significance of the UK-India air corridor, which carries millions of passengers a year.
For James O’Rourke, none of that matters. “My son is a good man. He did not cause this. The truth will come out, and then they will have to answer for what they have done to him.” He wiped his eyes and walked back into the house, leaving the door ajar.
