- By Supratik Das
- Mon, 28 Jul 2025 08:30 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Plane crash report: In a troubling year for global aviation, recent crashes involving major airlines, from Air India’s catastrophic Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad to South Korea’s worst aviation disaster involving a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, have reignited concerns over a possible rise in pilot error-related incidents. As investigations unfold, families of victims, regulators, and aviation safety experts are all asking the same question: Are pilot errors becoming a dangerous pattern in 2025?
Air India AI-171 Crash: Speculation on "Fuel Switch Error"
Barely six months into 2025, India had its deadliest air accident as Air India Flight AI-171 fell seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 passengers and crew members along with 19 people on the ground. Reports indicate that fuel switches were possibly accidentally or deliberately shut off, leading to the failure of the engines in mid-air. But India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have criticized reports, cautioning against jumping to conclusions. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has now sent legal notices to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal, calling for retractions and public apologies for holding the pilots responsible without official confirmation. The FIP described the reporting as "irresponsible and damaging to pilot morale," particularly in the absence of a final investigation report.
Jeju Air Flight 7C2216: Did Pilots Shut The Wrong Engine?
South Korea's transport ministry and the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (ARAIB) are probing the December 29 Jeju Air crash, which took the lives of 179 of 181 individuals on board. The plane experienced a simultaneous engine bird strike during landing at Muan International Airport, but evidence now suggests that the pilots also killed the less crippled engine, although they continued flying on a roaring right engine with black smoke and flames. A cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) confirm that pilots shut down the left engine 19 seconds after the bird strike, despite it sustaining less damage. Moments later, the aircraft belly-landed without deploying landing gear, overshot the runway, and exploded after crashing into a navigation embankment. A July 19 confidential update obtained by Reuters suggests that the right engine, despite internal damage, was generating enough thrust for continued flight, raising troubling echoes of the 1989 Kegworth air disaster in England, when pilots mistakenly shut down the working engine.
A Global Trend? More Than 500 Fatalities Lost in 2025 So Far
The year 2025 has so far had more than 500 air crash fatalities worldwide—nearly twice the average. Other significant events are:
• On July 24, a Russian passenger plane crashed, killing all 49 passengers.
• An air force jet crashed in Bangladesh, killing 29 civilians when it struck a school building.
• A Delta Connection Embraer E175 barely escaped a mid-air collision with a USAF B-52 bomber while flying over North Dakota on July 19, thanks to the pilot's swift actions.
• A Boeing 737 cargo plane was downed by gunfire during civil unrest in Sudan, and 20 people were killed.
• In January, an American Airlines jet crashed into a military helicopter, killing 67 people.
ALSO READ: Did Human Error Cause Air India’s Deadliest Boeing 787 Crash? US Agency Says No Quick Answers
Are Pilots Being Unfairly Blamed?
These accidents trigger concerns not only regarding pilot proficiency, but also airspace coordination, engine dependability, and air traffic control breakdowns. While the public and victims' families may look for immediate accountability, aviation safety experts caution against singling out pilot error without full context. “Most air disasters are the result of multiple converging failures—technical, procedural, and human,” said Greg Feith, former U.S. NTSB investigator. In the Jeju and Air India cases, the investigations are still underway. But the vagueness of initial reports, conflicting interpretations of data, and mounting pressure from families of victims have bred an atmosphere conducive to rumour-mongering and public hysteria.
The Jeju Air Pilots' Union severely criticised South Korean investigators for implying that the left engine remained undamaged, as they indicated that bird remains had been discovered in both engines, and both had vibrations and surges. They, together with bereaved families, call for the complete release of black box data and warn against the crew being blamed too hastily. In the meantime, the FIP in India cautions that blaming pilots in the absence of conclusive findings threatens public confidence in aviation and the mental health of current flight crews.
In Jeju, investigators say non-frangible buildings like the concrete navigation embankment at Muan Airport broke global aviation safety standards and potentially led to the high toll of lives lost. South Korea has since committed to redesigning similar buildings at seven domestic airports. In the United States, an aerial dodge in North Dakota is spurring concerns about the coordination of military-civilian airspace despite the availability of radar systems. With over a dozen serious crashes in seven months, it's apparent the aviation sector is under siege by a multifaceted crisis. From mechanical failures and air traffic miscommunication to suspected pilot miscalculations, every incident points towards institutional weaknesses.
For now, one thing is clear, the skies in 2025 have been far from safe, and the need for enhanced pilot training, real-time technical diagnostics, and global aviation reform has never been more urgent.