AI171 families await nod for prayers at Ahmedabad plane crash site

AHMEDABAD: Families who lost relatives in last year’s AI171 plane crash gathered at Sola Bhagwat Vidyapith on Wednesday to plan how they will mark the first anniversary of the tragedy on June 12. They have asked authorities for permission to hold prayers at the crash site in memory of the victims, but say they have received no official response yet.

After the meeting, the families laid out several demands. They want the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to take a more active role and have asked AAIB India to share raw data and investigation material. They are also pushing for the crash report to be made public and want investigators to probe whether the ram air turbine (RAT) had deployed by the time the aircraft hit the ground.

Janvi Purohit, whose brother died in the crash, believes technical faults with the plane may have been to blame.

“We lost my brother in the crash. He was heading back to the UK after visiting our father. We have been in touch with the airline and have received compensation,” she said. “We believe the plane had problems that weren’t fixed in time. All we want is the truth and justice,” she added.

Rafiq Mohammad, who lost his son in the crash, said the young man had been returning to London to resume his studies. He complained that the airline has not responded to several of his questions.

Hetal Prajapati’s husband was killed on the ground when the plane came down. She said Air India and the Tata Group offered initial support after the crash, but feels let down by what followed. “There was talk of financial help and even a job, but nothing happened after that,” she alleged.