Air India Crash: Black Box Data Analysis Underway, Says Government

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New Delhi— The Indian government on Thursday confirmed that analysis of data from the black boxes recovered from the crash site of Air India Flight AI-171 is currently in progress, in accordance with both national laws and international protocols.

The tragic crash of the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12, resulting in the deaths of nearly 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. In response, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) initiated a formal probe the following day and assembled a multi-disciplinary investigation team on June 13.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the investigation team is led by the Director General of AAIB and includes an aviation medicine expert, an air traffic control officer, and representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as mandated by international aviation agreements, since the aircraft was manufactured and designed in the United States.

The two flight recorders — the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) — were recovered from the crash site in separate operations. One was found on June 13 on a rooftop near the crash zone, while the second was located in the debris on June 16.

Both devices were handled under strict Standard Operating Procedures, which included 24/7 police security and continuous CCTV surveillance while stored in Ahmedabad. On June 24, the black boxes were transported with full security by Indian Air Force aircraft to the AAIB laboratory in Delhi.

The CVR (referred to as the front black box) arrived at the AAIB Lab at 2:00 p.m., followed by the FDR (rear black box) at 5:15 p.m. the same day. Later that evening, a joint team comprising technical experts from the AAIB and NTSB began the data extraction process.

On June 25, the Crash Protection Module from the front black box was safely removed, and the memory module was accessed successfully. The data has since been downloaded and analysis is ongoing.

“These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the crash and identify contributing factors to improve aviation safety and prevent similar incidents in the future,” the ministry said.

The accident has triggered a broader review of aviation safety across India. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in its preliminary findings, has flagged repeated operational flaws in some domestic airline procedures — particularly instances where previously reported aircraft defects reappeared after inspections at various airports. (Source: IANS)