The father of the Air India pilot at the centre of last week’s deadly crash has broken his silence, vowing to clear his son’s name as a British aviation union demands a transparent investigation into the tragedy that killed 158 people.
Speaking exclusively from his home in Mumbai, retired airline captain Ravi Kapoor insisted that his 34-year-old son, Vikram Kapoor, was not to blame for the crash of Flight AI-782, which went down in heavy monsoon rain near Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport on 14 July.
“My son was a meticulous flier. He had logged more than 8,000 hours without a single incident. The idea that he made a catastrophic error is absurd,” said Kapoor, his voice cracking. “I will not let his memory be destroyed by a rush to judgment.”
Sources close to the investigation confirm that black box data shows the aircraft stalled at low altitude after the crew apparently misjudged the approach speed. But the father’s claims are bolstered by documents uncovered by this correspondent, which reveal that Air India had received three maintenance warnings about the aircraft’s speed sensors in the month before the crash. The airline declined to comment, referring inquiries to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Meanwhile, the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) issued a statement this afternoon calling for a “fair and impartial process” for Captain Kapoor, who died in the crash. BALPA’s general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: “We are concerned by early leaks that appear to lay blame solely on the flight deck. We owe it to the passengers and crew to examine every factor, including maintenance records and air traffic control communications.”
Strutton’s intervention is significant. BALPA rarely wades into foreign investigations, but sources say the union has received troubling reports from its Indian counterparts about pressure on investigators to produce a quick verdict. “They want a scapegoat,” said a senior industry insider. “And a dead pilot is an easy one.”
The crash is the deadliest in India in over a decade. Families of the victims have grown increasingly angry as details of the probe emerge slowly. “We want the truth, not a cover-up,” said Anjali Singh, whose husband was among the dead. “If the pilot made a mistake, so be it. But if the airline failed, we need to know.”
Ravi Kapoor vowed to hire forensic experts to review the black box analysis independently. “I have mortgaged my house to pay for a second opinion. This is my son’s legacy. It is all I have left.”
Documents seen by this newspaper also show that Air India had delayed mandatory pilot retraining on stall recovery procedures for six months prior to the crash. The airline denies any negligence.
As the investigation enters its second week, the battle lines are drawn. On one side, a grieving father and a powerful union demanding accountability. On the other, an airline and a regulator under intense scrutiny. The truth, as always, lies buried in the data. And I intend to find it.
