Federation of Indian Pilots sends legal notice to Reuters, WSJ over coverage of Air India flight 171 crash
New Delhi, Jul 19: The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has initiated legal proceedings against Reuters and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over their reporting on the Air India Flight 171 crash, which occurred on June 12, 2025, in Ahmedabad, claiming 260 lives, reports TOI and ANI
According to the FIP, the two international media outlets have engaged in “selective and unverified reporting” while the official investigation, led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), remains ongoing. Legal notices have been served to both organisations, demanding a public apology, withdrawal of speculative content, and inclusion of appropriate disclaimers in related coverage, reports TOI.
The FIP has stated that certain reports published by Reuters and WSJ have caused “irreparable harm” to the reputation of the deceased pilots and inflicted distress on bereaved families, while also lowering the morale of the wider pilot community. The legal notice further cautions against any further publication or dissemination of content that assigns blame or speculates on the cause of the crash in the absence of official findings.
The pilots’ body has demanded that Reuters revise its July 17 article, remove any implications of pilot fault, and explicitly clarify that the article was based on secondary sources and that no final conclusions have been issued by investigating authorities, reports news agency.
The notice warns that failure to comply could lead to legal action for defamation, reputational damage, and mental anguish caused to the pilots’ families and the aviation community.
The legal action comes amid a broader pushback against speculative reporting on the crash. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a public statement supporting India’s AAIB and urging media outlets to refrain from premature conclusions. The NTSB stressed that investigations of such magnitude are complex and take time, calling recent media reports on the incident “premature and speculative.”
The AAIB’s preliminary report was recently released, but the final findings are still awaited. The FIP has urged all media platforms to respect the official investigative process and avoid speculation until the conclusive report is made public. (with inputs from ANI and TOI)
