India’s Aviation Industry: Urgent Need to Review Crew Resource Management

Following the tragic Air India Flight 171 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 242 passengers and crew, India’s aviation industry faces scrutiny over Crew Resource Management (CRM) practices. The crash, 30 seconds after takeoff, has sparked a nationwide call for an intensive CRM review to address human error, a factor in 60-80% of aviation accidents globally. Starting with Air India’s fleet, the ECI’s probe, mandated by ICAO rules, is examining CRM failures in communication and decision-making.

CRM: A Critical Safety Pillar

CRM, born from 1970s aviation tragedies like the 1977 Tenerife disaster, focuses on non-technical skills—communication, teamwork, situational awareness, and decision-making—to enhance flight safety. In India, where air traffic grew 9% annually over the last decade, CRM training is mandatory for commercial pilots under DGCA guidelines, yet lapses persist. The Ahmedabad crash, where pilots Sumeet Sabharwal and Clive Kundar faced a possible flight management system issue, raises questions about crew coordination under stress.

Why the Review?

The ECI’s investigation, set to release a preliminary report by July 20, 2025, is probing whether poor CRM contributed to the crash,. Past incidents, like Air India Express Flight 812 in 2010, highlighted communication breakdowns, with the captain ignoring the co-pilot’s warnings. X posts reflect public concern, urging a CRM overhaul, citing global standards like the FAA’s Advisory Circular 120-51E, which integrates CRM into pilot training. India’s 1,100+ Boeing 787s and 136 airports, handling 70% of passenger traffic at hubs like Delhi, demand robust CRM to prevent errors, per Business Line.

Challenges in India’s Context

India’s diverse workforce, with 780 languages and cultural hierarchies, complicates CRM implementation, per The Wire. Rigid cockpit dynamics, as seen in the 1978 United Airlines Flight 173 crash, persist in some Indian crews, where junior pilots hesitate to challenge senior. Training at institutes like Avlon Shiksha Niketan in Kolkata emphasizes CRM, but inconsistent application across airlines like IndiGo and Air India undermines effectiveness, per Avlon. The 2024 DGCA audit of Air India’s 787 fleet found no major issues, yet the crash suggests gaps in real-time CRM execution.

Path Forward

The ECI must standardize CRM training, incorporating Line-Oriented Flight Training (LOFT) and Threat and Error Management (TEM), as seen in Qantas Flight 32’s success, per Wikipedia. India’s ₹101 billion aviation sector, with 568 million gamers and social media users amplifying safety debates, needs a blame-free culture to encourage assertive communication. Revising DGCA protocols to enforce psychological safety and simulator-based CRM drills can bridge gaps, ensuring India’s skies remain safe in 2025.

-By Manoj H