Ram Mohan Naidu also reiterated that the high level committee's investigation will be independent of all the other investigations happening. "AAIB is going to lead the technical side of the investigation, while the high level committee will approach the investigation in a holistic manner."
Published Jun 14, 2025 | 4:28 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 14, 2025 | 4:28 PM
Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Air India crash. (Screengrab)
Synopsis: Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced a high-level committee, led by the Union Home Secretary, to investigate the Air India AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad on 12 June. The committee, comprising top officials from various agencies, will meet on 16 June and submit its report within three months.
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu addressing the press on Saturday, 14 June, informed that an additional high level committee led by the Union Home Secretary has been formed to probe the crash of Air India AI 171 passenger plane in Ahmedabad on Thursday, 12 June.
He further added that the committee will meet on Monday, 16 June, to probe the crash and submit the report within three months.
Reiterating the seriousness of the incident, the minister said, “To look into all the theories, or other information going around this incident, we felt it would be better to have another committee to overlook into the crash and safety.”
The committee members include: Secretary ministry of civil aviation, additional secretary from MHA, representative from Gujarat state government, and Gujarat disaster response authority, Ahmedabad police commissioner, DG inspection and safety from the Indian Air Force, DG BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) , DG DGCA, special director from IB, and director from directorate of forensic services.
The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed for London at 1.38 pm on Thursday, 12 June, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew, but crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 242 people onboard. The plane crashed into the nearby hostel of BJ Medical College, killing many including medical students and injuring many others.
Speaking of the investigation from the ministry, the Union minister stated, “Taking utmost seriousness of the incident, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was immediately mobilised. The five member team including DG AAIB has started the investigation within hours of the incident, and yesterday, two more members- one from forensics team, and one from medical team were added.”
“One important update from the technical investigation, happening through the AAIB is the recovery of the black box yesterday (Friday, 13 June),” the minister said, adding that the decoding of the black box will give an in depth analysis of what transpired during the crash.
Ram Mohan Naidu also reiterated that the high level committee’s investigation will be independent of all the other investigations happening. “AAIB is going to lead the technical side of the investigation, while the high level committee will approach the investigation in a holistic manner.”
Speaking about safety concerns, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated, “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. I believe that 8 have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a directive on Friday, 13 June, mandating enhanced safety inspections of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines.
The aviation regulator has ordered a series of additional maintenance checks to be implemented across the entire B787 fleet operated by Air India, effective from 00:00 hours on 15 June, 2025. These include one-time pre-departure checks from India, focusing on:
In addition, DGCA has directed that Flight Control Inspections be introduced as part of transit checks for the aircraft until further notice.
Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, giving the details of the accident said, “The AI 171 was a scheduled flight from Ahmadabad to Gatwik, London. It had 230 passengers, 10 crew members, two pilots. The flight took off at 1:38 PM, and within few seconds, after reaching 650 feet started sinking. At 1:39 PM, the pilot gave a Mayday warning to the Ahmedabad ATC implying a full emergency. However, when the ATC tried to contact the flight, they received no response. After one minute, the flight met with the accident about two kms away from the airport.”
“The same plane had previously completed the trip of Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector without any issue,” he added.
Speaking of the airport, the official added, “The Ahmedabad airport was shutdown at 2:30 PM and was opened at 5:00 PM, after completing the protocols.”
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto)
