Air India crash pilot's father vows to defend son's reputation

"You see, every time an accident takes place, the pilot is blamed. Why? It's the simplest way to close the chapter. He is no more and cannot defend himself," Pushkar Raj, who is his 90s, told the BBC.Capt Sabharwal was a veteran pilot with three decades of flying experience at Air India. He had logged more than 15,600 flying hours, including nearly 8,600 on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.When the BBC visited his father at his Mumbai home last week, he sat under a wall that had photographs of his late wife, and of Capt Sabharwal wearing his uniform.Pushkar Raj, who is a retired aviation safety officer, said his son was planning to retire soon so he could care for him and spend more time at home."That day, he was positioned for a flight from Ahmedabad. He told me, I'm boarding the aircraft and I'll call you from Gatwick," he recalled."And a short while later, everything happened."He described his son as kind, soft-spoken and deeply devoted to his family."His mother used to say he was her Shravan," he said, referring to the mythological Hindu figure Shravan Kumar - known for his undeterred devotion to his parents.