A Kent businessman whose two parents were killed in the Air India crash has said he does not believe the leading theory that pilots were to blame.
Haresh Kuberbhai Patel’s mum and dad died in the June 12, 2025, disaster, which killed 260 people, including 52 British nationals. He is one of around 30 families of victims who have written to the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) asking them to conduct their own investigation into what caused the Ahmedabad to London flight to go down.
His mother, Babiben Kuberbhai Patel, 69, and father, Kuberbhai Khemchanddas Patel, 72, were travelling from Ahmedabad to London to visit Haresh and his siblings when the aircraft went down in western India.
Haresh, 49, who moved to the UK in 2005, told Metro, “I don’t want to remember that day. I lost both my parents and it’s a difficult time for us.
“Mentally we’re still disturbed. We try to recover from them, but we can’t.” He added, “I just want to carry on and find out how this could happen.” Haresh says he and other victims’ families are “still waiting for the truth to come out” after reports that Indian investigators are leaning towards pilot action being behind the crash.
The captain of the aircraft was Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, who had logged over 15,600 hours in the cockpit. The first officer was Clive Kunder, who had 3,403 hours of flying experience
The Herne Bay resident disagrees with the contested theory, saying, “I don’t believe that. How can anyone go on a plane and put people’s lives at risk? No one can.
“It could be a technical problem. We deserve answers.”
Calls for independent UK investigation
Haresh has joined as many as 30 other victims’ relatives in sending letters calling for the UK AAIB to launch its own independent investigation into the tragedy. The families, 12 of whom are British, wrote that they have “serious concerns about how the events of the crash have been explained so far” and called for a UK-led investigation, saying they have lost confidence in the current inquiry and are seeking an independent review they can trust.
Families of British victims said that while they “respect the work” of the Indian authorities, they have urged the AAIB to review the flight’s black box data, arguing it would provide greater confidence that all technical aspects have been properly examined.
In a letter to AAIB chief inspector Robert Balls, they wrote, “A review by the UK AAIB would provide families like ours with greater confidence that all technical aspects have been properly examined. We are only seeking the truth and reassurance that such a tragedy will not happen again.”
Technical concerns raised over systems and RAT deployment
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in India released a controversial preliminary report in July, which first fuelled theories suggesting pilot self-sabotage or error.
The report said the Boeing 787’s fuel switches moved to the “cut-off” position “immediately” after take-off, stopping fuel supply to the engine.
However, the letter sent by families highlights technical details of the crash which they say could point instead to an electrical or system failure.
They outlined three key technical concerns which they argue could significantly change the current understanding of the crash: a possible electrical system failure before the fuel cut-off, uncertainty over when the Ram Air Turbine was deployed, and questions surrounding the operation of an emergency system that automatically deploys a propeller.
These concerns, also raised by the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) in letters to the AAIB India last month, focus on the Boeing 787’s back-up generator used in emergencies, known as the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), The Times of India reports.
The FIP says CCTV images of the aircraft before the crash, along with the timeline in the preliminary report, may indicate that the RAT deployed before the fuel control switches moved to the “cut-off” position.
That, they argue, could suggest an electrical failure triggered the RAT and may call into question whether the pilots were responsible for cutting fuel to the aircraft, according to The Times of India. While the FIP and others do not have access to the full body of evidence, these concerns have been enough for victims’ families to call for UK investigators to step in.
AAIB response and investigation limits
However, following the families’ demands, in a response dated April 9, the AAIB said it does not have the authority to conduct a technical review of the incident. The letter clarified that the UK’s role in the Indian-led investigation remains limited despite the involvement of British victims.
Principal Inspector Geraint Herbert confirmed that the UK is participating only as an “expert” under international rules. “This status reflects the fact that there were UK citizens who lost their lives in the accident and is in accordance with internationally agreed standards set out in Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation,” the letter stated.
It added that while UK investigators are entitled to visit the crash site and access factual information approved for public release, they do not have rights to detailed technical data or authority to carry out an independent review.
The ill-fated Air India flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese passengers when it crashed outside the airport, striking a hospital accommodation building.
Only one person, Viswashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash.
