Gaurav Taneja defends deceased pilots in Air India crash; calls out big companies for shifting blame: ‘It gets easy to claim insurance'

Gaurav Taneja, popularly known for his YouTube channel Flying Beast, recently shared his opinion on the Air India aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. He responded to online claims blaming the deadly crash on a mistake made by the pilots. Defending the pilots, Gaurav explained why he believes the crash did not occur due to pilot error. For the unversed, Gaurav served as a commercial pilot for over a decade and was a captain at Air Asia before getting involved in a whistleblower scandal.
In the video he shared, Gaurav said, 'Pilots outside India are claiming that the crash happened because the Indian pilots retracted flap instead of the gear because the videos before the crash show that the gear is down. Pilots gear up when the flight is 100 feet above the surface. They said wings are supposed to create lift, which is supposed to keep the aircraft in the air and when you retract the flaps there is a loss of lift and that loss of lift caused the flight to go down but I have a serious problem with this theory.'
He added, 'It's very easy to blame the pilots when they are not there to defend themselves. Boeing and Air India both are big companies so leave them and let's blame the pilot. Also, it gets easy to claim insurance if you blame it on the pilot. That is one more reason for big companies to not take it on themselves. Americans think Indian pilots aren't very competent but that's not the case.'
Gaurav insisted that this theory is false, in his view, as both handles — for flap and gear — are not located near each other and are far apart, making it very unlikely for a pilot to confuse the two. He also demonstrated that even if the pilots accidentally pulled the wrong handle, they had a window of 18 seconds to correct the mistake. However, he admitted that he has never flown a Boeing 787, which is the model that crashed, but noted that he has flown Airbus aircraft, which have similar functionalities.
'There is Murphy's Law that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. If something has to go wrong, it will go wrong whether it happens in one or ten years. This has happened with so many pilots. Even if you take the flap up, the whole process takes 18 seconds,' he said.
He further pointed out that even if one pilot made the mistake, the other pilot would likely catch it as it would fall within their peripheral vision, allowing them to correct the error. Gaurav noted that such incidents had occurred in the past due to confusion between flaps and gear, which is why changes were implemented. 'Pilots were mixing gear with flap. It has happened before but a flight doesn't crash because of this reason. None of the aircrafts have gone down because of this reason,' he said.
Gaurav shared another point defending the pilots, stating, 'Even if the flap is zero and both the pilots made the mistake, an aircraft is certified to fly on a single engine, on full weight, full fuel and everything.'
He ended his video saying, 'At this point of time everything is an assumption. However, I don't agree with this theory.'

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The Rigveda's 1,028 hymns, with precise syllable counts (e.g., Gayatri with eight syllables per line, Trishtubh with 11), suggest a sophisticated linguistic system, likely supported by a script, despite oral transmission via techniques like pada-patha and ghana-patha. Non-sacred activities, such as trade or annotations, likely required writing, though perishable materials like palm leaves have left no trace. Panini's Ashtadhyayi (~5th century BCE or earlier), a grammatical treatise with ~4,000 sutras, implies a need for written codification due to its complexity. The name "Brahmi," linked to Brahma, the divine holder of the Vedas, reinforces traditional beliefs in its ancient origins, tying it to the Rigveda. The Indus Valley Script (3300–1900 BCE) indicates an early writing culture, potentially influencing a proto-Brahmi. The absence of epigraphical evidence before the third century BCE reflects archaeological limitations, not a scriptless civilisation. Ashokan inscriptions, spanning Afghanistan to Sri Lanka, show Brahmi's role in unifying a diverse empire, spreading Hindu and Buddhist principles. Its standardised form suggests prior development, likely from the Rigvedic period or earlier, establishing Hindu scriptology's foundation. The absence of pre-3rd century BCE epigraphical evidence reflects archaeological limitations, not a scriptless civilisation that produced great works such as the Rigveda and Panini's Ashtadhyayi long before. Ashokan inscriptions, spanning Afghanistan to Sri Lanka, show Brahmi's role in unifying a diverse empire, spreading Hindu and Buddhist principles. Its standardised form suggests prior development, likely from the Rigvedic period, establishing Hindu scriptology's foundation. Bifurcation of Brahmi: Uttara and Dakshina Brahmi By the early centuries CE, Brahmi's regional variants, which began evolving earlier (e.g., Tamil-Brahmi in the 3rd century BCE), were classified as Uttara Brahmi (Northern Brahmi) and Dakshina Brahmi (Southern Brahmi), reflecting geographical and linguistic diversity. Uttara Brahmi: The northern branch: Uttara Brahmi, used north of the Vindhyas, wrote Sanskrit and Prakrit for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions, characterised by angular forms. Its descendants include: Devanagari:Used for Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, and Nepali, Devanagari evolved from the Gupta script, with its shirorekha (horizontal line) symbolising northern script unity. Sharada:Used in Kashmir for Sanskrit and Kashmiri, it remains a symbol of Hindu heritage. Gujarati:A cursive Devanagari derivative, reflecting Gujarat's cultural dynamism. Gurmukhi:Developed for Punjabi by Guru Angad, tied to Sikhism's Hindu ethos. Bengali, Odiya, Assamese:Evolving from the Siddham script, these preserve Hindu literary traditions. Meetei Mayek:Revived in Manipur, symbolising Hindu heritage reclamation. Tibetan:Developed in the 7th century, it spread Buddhism, a Hindu-derived religion, to Tibet. These scripts, driven by Hindu, and Buddhist traditions, carried Hindu influence to Central Asia, embodying northern Hindu scriptology's unity. Dakshina Brahmi: The southern branch: Dakshina Brahmi, used in southern India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, adapted to Dravidian and non-Indo-Aryan languages with rounded forms. Its descendants include: Tamil:Originating from Tamil-Brahmi (3rd century BCE), an early southern Brahmi variant, it evolved through Vatteluttu and Pallava scripts (4th–7th centuries CE), with significant Grantha influence, and was standardised in the 20th century. Telugu, Kannada:From the Kadamba script (4th–6th centuries CE), emerging from a shared script by the 13th century. Malayalam:Derived from Tamil-Brahmi via Vatteluttu, shaped by Grantha, and simplified by the 20th century. Sinhala:Evolving in Sri Lanka by the 3rd century CE, it preserves Buddhist literature. Khmer, Thai, Lao:From Pallava script, spreading Hindu-Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia. Burmese:Derived from Mon script, reflecting Myanmar's Hindu-Buddhist past. Javanese, Balinese:Rooted in Pallava, these encapsulate Indonesia's Hindu-Buddhist heritage. Chakma:Adapted for a Tibeto-Burman language, supporting Buddhist texts. Malay Scripts (Kawi, Rencong, Batak, Lontara):Thriving during the Hindu-Buddhist period (4th–13th centuries CE), these were later replaced by Arabic (Jawi) and Latin (Rumi) scripts due to Islamisation and colonial influence. These southern Brahmi scripts, with their rounded forms and adaptability to diverse phonologies, highlight Hindu civilisation's linguistic diversity, spread through Pallava and Chola maritime networks across South and Southeast Asia. Cultural and Linguistic Significance Until the 8th century CE, Hindu civilisation, spanning from Afghanistan to the Malay Archipelago, was unified by shared religious practices, philosophies, and Brahmi-derived scripts. Temples, stupas, and inscriptions from Gandhara to Java reflect this interconnectedness, with Brahmi as the scriptological thread. Religious texts and cultural transmission: Brahmi-derived scripts preserved Hindu civilisation's religious heritage. Devanagari transcribed Vedic hymns, Upanishads, and epics, while Tamil recorded Sangam literature and devotional works. Khmer and Thai scripts adapted Hindu and Buddhist texts, and Tibetan and Sinhala scripts preserved Mahayana and Theravada canons, respectively, spreading Hindu ethos across Asia. Linguistic adaptation: Brahmi's adaptability suited diverse linguistic systems. Northern scripts like Devanagari handled Indo-Aryan consonant clusters, while southern scripts suited Dravidian structures. Khmer and Thai scripts accommodated tonal languages, reflecting Hindu scribes' ingenuity in preserving a shared heritage. Trade and Cultural Exchange Trade and maritime routes, led by Pallava and Chola dynasties, spread Brahmi-derived scripts to Southeast Asia, seen in Angkor Wat and Borobudur. The Silk Road carried Uttara Brahmi to Central Asia and Tibet. These exchanges highlight Hindu civilisation's role as a cultural bridge, with Brahmi scripts enduring in regions like Thailand and Bali. Losses of Hindu civilisation: Islamic conquests from the eighth century replaced Brahmi-derived scripts with Perso-Arabic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, dismantling Hindu and Buddhist institutions. Colonial rule marginalised Brahmi scripts, favouring English and Roman scripts. In Southeast Asia, Latin orthographies diminished scripts like Javanese. Without a Hindu state, Hindu civilisation's culture, languages, and scripts face challenges in preservation. A call to reclaim Hindu civilisation: Brahmi-derived scripts reflect Hindu civilisation's historical grandeur, yet conquest, colonisation, and secularism threaten its survival. Nations like India and Nepal must promote these scripts, fund scriptological research, and integrate Hindu cultural education to preserve this heritage. These scripts, from Devanagari's shirorekha to Telugu's curves, embody a civilisation that once illuminated Asia, urging a renewed identity to ensure its global resonance. Conclusion Brahmi and its descendants represent a pinnacle of human ingenuity and Hindu civilisation's cornerstone. From its Rigvedic origins to its spread across Asia, Brahmi unified diverse regions through a shared scriptological heritage. Its bifurcation into Uttara and Dakshina Brahmi reflects Hindu civilisation's diversity and resilience. Despite losses from conquest, colonisation, and secularism, these scripts endure, testifying to Hindu civilisation's legacy. Without state patronage, this heritage risks extinction, demanding urgent action to preserve and revitalise it. By celebrating Hindu scriptology, we honour an ancient civilisation that shaped Asia and, possibly, beyond, inspiring a renaissance to secure its future. (The writer is a retired IPS officer, and a former Director of CBI. Views are personal)