The North News
New Delhi, June 26
The aviation authorities have begun analysing the flight data and cockpit voice recorders of Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed just 36 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 274 people, including 33 on the ground, in one of the country’s deadliest air disasters in recent memory.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed on Thursday that a detailed investigation is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash, and to identify systemic failures and human factors in a bid to bolster future aviation safety.
Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR)—commonly known as black boxes—were recovered from the wreckage. One was found on 13 June on a rooftop near the crash site, and the second emerged from the debris on 16 June. Authorities said the devices were handled according to strict safety and legal protocols, placed under 24-hour police protection and CCTV surveillance before being flown to Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), India’s designated air crash investigation agency, said the front black box was received at its laboratory in Delhi at 2:00pm on 24 June, followed by the rear device at 5:15pm the same day. Both were secured by separate teams under the direct supervision of Director General (DG) AAIB.
The black boxes are now being examined in Delhi with assistance from technical experts of the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), given that the aircraft was manufactured and designed in the United States. The collaborative investigation is in accordance with Annex 13 of the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944) and India’s own Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
The AAIB had promptly initiated a probe on 13 June, forming a multidisciplinary team that includes experts in aviation medicine, air traffic control, and international crash investigation protocols. Officials say this approach aligns with global standards and reflects India’s commitment to transparency and international cooperation in aviation incidents.
Initial steps of the investigation included safely retrieving the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box. On 25 June, its memory module was successfully accessed and data downloaded at the AAIB laboratory.
The Ministry emphasised that all steps have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations, and investigations are proceeding in a time-bound manner.
