The courtroom fell silent as a sharp exchange erupted between legal teams over the cause of the Air India crash that claimed 158 lives. At the heart of the dispute, a British aviation expert is now being sought to provide independent testimony, after rival camps offered wildly contradictory explanations for the tragedy.
The crash, which occurred during a monsoon storm in southern India, has become a battleground for competing narratives. The airline’s lawyers argue pilot error alone was to blame, pointing to cockpit recordings that suggest a late decision to abort landing. Families of the victims, however, have accused the carrier of negligence, claiming faulty maintenance and pressure from management to keep to schedule contributed to the disaster.
Yesterday’s hearing in Mumbai saw a furious row over black box data. The official report, commissioned by Indian authorities, attributes the crash to a microburst—a sudden, violent downdraft that overwhelmed the aircraft. But a forensic engineer hired by the victims’ families dismissed this as “a convenient scapegoat”, insisting the plane was flying with a known stabiliser defect.
“The flight logs show the aircraft had been flagged for inspection three times in the preceding month,” said Ravi Patel, a lawyer representing 34 families. “Our expert will prove the airline cut corners.” The airline’s defence team angrily rejected the claim, calling it “desperate speculation designed to win a payout”.
Into this storm steps Professor James Aldridge, a former RAF accident investigator now based in Cambridge. His name was raised by the presiding judge after both sides agreed they needed a neutral technical opinion. Aldridge, who has advised on previous aviation disasters in the UK and Europe, is expected to review the flight data recorder and maintenance records over the next four weeks.
But his appointment has already triggered a backlash. The airline’s lead counsel, Meera Singh, warned that “foreign experts often misunderstand local conditions”, while the victims’ families welcomed the move as “a chance for the truth”. Outside the court, Susan D’Souza, whose daughter was a flight attendant on the doomed plane, told reporters: “We just want someone who will tell us what really happened. Not a cover-up, not a blame game. The truth.”
The crash has left a deep scar on India’s aviation industry. Air India has been under financial strain for years, and the disaster has intensified scrutiny of its safety record. For the families, the wait for answers has been agonising. “Every delay feels like another loss,” said D’Souza, clutching a photograph of her daughter. “We need this expert. We need someone who isn’t afraid to speak up.”
The tribunal will reconvene next month, with Professor Aldridge expected to submit his findings by mid-August. Until then, the arguments will rage on, each side digging in harder. But for the bereaved, there is a quiet hope that a pair of impartial eyes, thousands of miles away, might finally bring clarity to a tragedy that has left too many questions unanswered.
