India’s leading pilots’ union has criticized a U.S. media report that appears to blame the crew for a recent Air India incident in Ahmedabad, alleging an attempt to shield aircraft manufacturer Boeing from scrutiny.

The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday expressed “strong dissatisfaction” over The Wall Street Journal’s coverage, which cited unnamed U.S. officials claiming the Air India pilots were responsible for the near-disastrous incident involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on June 15. According to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report, the aircraft experienced a critical loss of thrust during takeoff after both engines suddenly lost fuel flow. The incident occurred when the fuel control switches shifted from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ mode, effectively shutting off fuel supply to the engines.

While the flight crew managed to restore power to one engine within seconds, the second engine failed to reignite, causing a rapid descent before the aircraft stabilized. No injuries were reported. The Wall Street Journal, citing black box data, reported that the captain manually switched off the fuel supply—an assertion the pilots’ union strongly disputes. “We are deeply concerned about the way the AAIB’s initial findings are being portrayed in international media,” the FIP said in a statement. “Attributing blame to the cockpit crew without a thorough, science-based investigation is not only premature but grossly irresponsible.” The union emphasized the extensive experience of the crew involved: Captain Sumit Sabharwal logged over 8,200 flight hours, while First Officer Clive Kundar had more than 1,100 hours. “It is implausible that such experienced professionals would inadvertently shut off fuel to both engines during takeoff. Mechanical malfunction must not be ruled out,” the statement added. Air India has stated there is currently no indication of technical issues with the Boeing 787-8’s fuel control switches, although the matter remains under investigation.

The FIP has called for an independent, transparent probe and cautioned against what it described as “media trials” that deflect attention from possible manufacturing or system faults.

Boeing has not commented on the incident or the FIP’s statement.