Air India crash: High-level panel formed, to submit report within 3 months

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 en route to London, crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 on board; Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has retrieved the flight's black box

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday announced that the central government has constituted a high-level committee to investigate the Air India Flight 171 crash in Gujarat. The tragedy, which occurred on June 12 in Ahmedabad, claimed the lives of 241 passengers.

 

Naidu said the panel has been directed to complete its inquiry within a fixed timeline. “We have put a time limit of three months for them to sit down, talk to various stakeholders, and involve and discuss with any other important expert that is necessary as per their investigation,” he said during a media briefing.

 

The minister said, "We have very strict safety standards in the country. When the incident happened, we also felt that there is a need to do an extended surveillance into the Boeing 787 Series. DGCA has also given an order to do the extended surveillance for the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today." 

 

  Black box recovered, technical analysis underway

 

The minister confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has retrieved the flight’s black box from the crash site. The black box, a critical device that records flight data and cockpit conversations, was recovered around 5 pm on Friday.   

 

  Naidu said, “The AAIB team believes that this decoding of the black box is going to give an in-depth insight into what would have actually happened during the process of the crash or moments before the crash itself.”

 

He added that authorities are closely monitoring the investigation: “We are also eagerly waiting for what the results or the report is going to be once the AAIB goes through its full investigation.”

 

Naidu expressed deep grief over the incident and offered condolences to the families of the victims. “The last two days have been very difficult. The accident that happened near Ahmedabad airport shook the entire nation. My deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones in the incident,” he said.

 

Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad

 

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. The aircraft lost altitude within 30 seconds of takeoff and slammed into the Civil Hospital campus in Meghani Nagar, hitting a student hostel and a doctors' residential block before catching fire.   

 

  Of the 242 people on board — 230 passengers and 12 crew members — only one person survived: British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Eyewitnesses reported a series of loud explosions, followed by thick black smoke rising from the site as emergency responders rushed in.

 

Multi-agency probe in motion

 

Apart from the AAIB, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and several international agencies have joined the investigation. Two flight recorders, including the black box, are now in possession of investigators and are expected to yield vital data that could determine the cause of the crash.

 

(With agency inputs)