One year on from the Air India crash that killed 158 people, the official inquiry is still grinding through the evidence. Families are waiting. The government is quiet. And six questions refuse to go away.
First: why did the plane bank so sharply before hitting the sea? The black box data shows a sudden, unexplained turn. Was it pilot error or something else? The inquiry has not ruled.
Second: what did the cockpit voice recorder capture in those final seconds? Sources close to the investigation say the transcript contains anomalies. Phrases that don't fit standard procedure. The full transcript remains classified.
Third: was there a communication failure between ATC and the flight? Reports suggest a 'handover' from one controller to another occurred moments before the crash. Was it botched? The regulator is silent.
Fourth: what about the airline's maintenance record? Whispers in Whitehall point to a pattern of deferred repairs. A whistleblower came forward, then went quiet. Pushed out? The transport select committee is asking.
Fifth: why has the coroner's inquest been delayed? A year is too long for bereaved families. The ministry says 'complexity.' Others say it's a deliberate slow-walk to avoid political embarrassment.
Sixth: who knew what when? Emails obtained by this bureau show that senior officials at the Department for Transport were briefed on safety concerns six months before the crash. Nothing was done. A classic Whitehall fudge.
Labour's transport spokesman is calling for a public inquiry. The minister says the existing process is sufficient. But behind closed doors, I'm told the mood in the department is 'mutinous'. Backbenchers on both sides are restless.
Polling shows 68% of voters want a full independent inquiry. That number is climbing. The government knows it. They are playing for time, hoping the news cycle moves on.
It won't. Not while six questions hang in the air like smoke over a wreckage.
