The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) have issued a legal notice to both these media institutions, accusing the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Reuters of running misleading news regarding the initial investigation report of the Air India Flight AI-171 accident. FIP Chairman Captain CS Randhawa said on Saturday (July 19, 2025) that these reports have no factual basis and have damaged the image of the pilots. More than 250 people died in the AI-171 aircraft accident. The case is being investigated by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

Captain Randhawa said in a conversation with ANI, “I blame WSJ completely. They conclude and spread all over the world. Are they a investigating agency? When nothing has been written in the report, how can they make the results from themselves?” He also said that the reports are blaming the pilots incorrectly, while there is no such conclusion in the initial report.

‘Ask for apologizes WSJ and Reuters’- FIP

FIP has demanded WSJ and Reuters to publicly apologize and clarify about their reporting. Captain Randhawa said, “We have clearly said that if they do not apologize and do not give clarification, then we will take further legal action.”

NTSB also objected

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairwoman Jennifer Homendi has also described the media reports as a hurry and estimate based. He said that such a big investigation process takes time and everyone should wait till the results of the official investigation of AAIB. The FIP president welcomed the NTSB’s statement and said that this would put an end to the baseless allegations being made on Indian pilots.

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