The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has launched a sharp counterattack on Reuters and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), accusing both international outlets of spreading “misleading and speculative” content regarding the Air India AI-171 crash.

In a strong-worded statement on Saturday, Captain CS Randhawa, President of the FIP, said the two media organisations have “jumped to baseless conclusions” based on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary findings, following the tragic June 12 crash that killed over 250 people.

“Are they the investigative body? They’re talking all this crap around the world,” Randhawa said, criticising the outlets for assigning blame to pilots without factual backing.

Legal Action Initiated

Randhawa confirmed that the FIP has issued formal legal notices to both WSJ and Reuters, demanding:

  • A public explanation of their coverage,

  • A press statement clarifying their interpretation of the AAIB’s report,

  • And a formal apology.

“If they don’t comply, we’ll take further action,” Randhawa warned.

Support From NTSB

Backing the FIP’s stance, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy also cautioned the media against speculative reporting. She stressed that investigations of this scale take time and urged everyone to await official conclusions.

“Recent media reports are premature and speculative,” Homendy stated, reiterating that the AAIB is the lead investigative body.

A Call for Responsible Reporting

The FIP believes these media reports have unfairly tarnished Indian pilots, and hopes that NTSB’s statement will halt unverified narratives.