Doomed Air India pilot’s medical records probed amid reports of depression, other mental health struggles

Medical records for an Air India pilot killed in last month’s crash are reportedly now being reviewed by investigators amid reports he’d been suffering from depression and other mental health issues.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, was the lead pilot when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down in Ahmedabad on June 12 — killing 241 people on board and leaving just one sole survivor.

Sabharwal, who had more than 15,000 flying hours under his belt at the time of the tragedy, had taken medical leave in recent years due to apparent mental health woes, The Telegraph reported.

“I have heard from several Air India pilots who told me he had some depression and mental health issues,” Mohan Ranganathan, a leading Indian aviation safety expert, said.

“He had taken time off from flying in the last three to four years. He had taken medical leave for that.”

Sabharwal had also taken bereavement leave following the 2022 death of his mom and had recently been weighing retirement to care for his aging father.

The pilot, who underwent a medical exam in September last year, would have been given clearance to return to work, Ranganathan said.

“He must have been medically cleared by the company [Air India] doctors. They must have given the clearance certificate,” he said.

It comes after the preliminary report into the tragedy found that the jet’s engine fuel cutoff switch had been flipped just three seconds after taking off.