Air India crash probe focuses on pilot's mental health since death of close relative

Crash investigators probing the tragic Air India disaster in Ahmedabad are examining the medical records of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal amid claims he suffered from depression and other mental health issues, reports The Telegraph.

The 56-year-old pilot, who died in the crash, had clocked up more than 15,000 hours of flying experience and was only months away from retirement. However, The Telegraph has learned he was contemplating leaving the airline early to care for his elderly father after the death of his mother in 2022.

His most recent Class I medical examination took place on September 5 last year. The results, now in the hands of investigators, are being scrutinised as part of an inquiry that has shifted its focus away from technical faults to the actions of the cockpit crew.

The Airline Pilots' Association of India has voiced objections to the "tone and direction" of the investigation, which has sparked fierce debate in the aviation community.

Captain Mohan Ranganathan, a respected aviation safety expert in India, told The Telegraph: "I have heard from several Air India pilots who told me he had some depression and mental health issues. He had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years. He had taken medical leave for that."

Captain Sabharwal is understood to have taken bereavement leave following his mother's passing. Mr Ranganathan added: "He must have been medically cleared by the company [Air India] doctors. They must have given the clearance certificate."

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a medical student hostel shortly after take-off last month, killing all but one of the 242 people on board.

A preliminary report released by Indian authorities on Saturday suggested that switches controlling fuel flow to the aircraft's engines had been turned off, causing a catastrophic loss of thrust during take-off.

In the cockpit voice recording recovered from the wreckage, one pilot is heard asking the other why the fuel was cut off. The other replies that he did not do it. It remains unclear who said what.

Attention has now turned to the roles of Captain Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. According to procedures, First Officer Kundar was flying the aircraft and had control of the take-off. As the monitoring pilot, Captain Sabharwal would not have had his hands on the controls, leaving him in a position to potentially reach the fuel switches, Mr Ranganathan claimed.

Captain Sabharwal joined Air India in 1994 and logged over 8,000 flying hours on the Dreamliner. After losing his mother, he moved from Delhi to Mumbai to be closer to his father, even considering early retirement to become his full-time carer.

Neighbours in Powai, Mumbai, described him as a quiet and devoted son who regularly accompanied his father on evening walks. "He was a doting son who never missed a chance to take his father down for fresh air," said one.

Neil Pais, a former colleague, paid tribute, calling him a "thorough gentleman". He told The Telegraph: "He was actually considering early retirement in the next couple of years. His father is very old, 90, and he was going to look after him full time. That was the plan.

"We're all human beings. Yes, there have been crew who've displayed tendencies towards mental health issues, and they've been grounded straight away. It's not allowed to go unchecked.

"Often it's more about life outside the job, which of course plays a part in how you perform. But if there's a concern, it's taken up by operations, by the right departments. They don't let anyone fly if there's any doubt."