Veteran Pilot Captain R.S. Sandhu Joins Air India Crash Probe as Domain Expert

Sources confirmed on Sunday (July 20) that Captain Sandhu, who played a pivotal role in Air India’s operations for nearly four decades, has formally joined the investigation team. He had previously served as a designated examiner for the Boeing 787-8 fleet and had personally taken delivery of the ill-fated aircraft — registered VT-ANB — in 2013.

The aircraft crashed on June 12 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad while en route to London Gatwick. It struck a residential building, killing 260 people, including 19 on the ground. Of the 242 people onboard, only one passenger survived.

In response to mounting pressure from pilot associations and aviation safety advocates, AAIB brought in Captain Sandhu to lend his technical expertise and operational insight to the high-profile investigation. The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) had earlier voiced concerns about the lack of subject matter experts in the initial phase of the probe and has been urging for wider representation in the investigation panel.

Captain Sandhu, who now leads aviation consultancy firm Aviazione, also played a key role in the integration of Tata Group’s various airline ventures.

The AAIB’s five-member investigation team is headed by Sanjay Kumar Singh (56), and includes a range of domain specialists — from experienced pilots and engineers to aviation medicine professionals, psychologists, and flight recorder analysts.

The bureau released its preliminary crash report on July 12, but the inclusion of high-caliber experts like Captain Sandhu signals a deepening of the technical probe into what remains one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.

Further details on additional domain experts involved in the investigation have yet to be officially disclosed.