The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has challenged the official explanation behind the crash of Air India Flight AI 171, claiming that fresh simulator tests suggest a major electrical failure and not deliberate action by the pilots that may have caused the disaster, as per IANS. Addressing a press conference, FIP President Captain C.S. Randhawa alleged that investigators overlooked critical technical evidence and excluded experienced aviation experts from key parts of the investigation. Official report blamed pilot actions The government’s interim report into the June 12, 2025 crash near Ahmedabad airport had concluded that the flight crew manually cut off fuel to the aircraft’s engines, leading to a loss of power shortly after take-off. According to the report, the aircraft’s ram air turbine (RAT) — an emergency backup power system — deployed four seconds after the fuel supply was cut. Simulator tests raise questions However, the pilots’ federation said it recently carried out simulator tests using the same weight, balance and weather conditions as the ill-fated flight. According to Randhawa, the results do not match …