Published Jun 26, 2025 | 5:52 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 26, 2025 | 5:52 PM
Air India flight AI 171 crashed near Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, confirms chairman N Chandrasekaran
Synopsis: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recovered and begun analyzing black box data from the Air India Flight AI-171 crash. According to a government status report, the investigation is underway in full compliance with ICAO’s Annex 13 and India’s Aircraft Investigation Rules, 2017, ensuring adherence to international and national aviation safety standards following the tragic incident earlier this month
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully recovered and begun examining data from the black boxes of Air India Flight AI-171, which was involved in a tragic accident earlier this month.
A detailed status report issued by the Press Information Bureau confirms that the investigation is proceeding in strict adherence to international protocols and national regulations.
India, as a signatory to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Chicago Convention (1944), is conducting the probe under Annex 13 of the ICAO guidelines and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
Following the crash, the AAIB constituted a multidisciplinary team on 13 June 2025 to lead the investigation.
The team is headed by the Director General of AAIB and includes an aviation medicine specialist, an air traffic control (ATC) officer, and representatives from the U.S.-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as the aircraft’s country of manufacture and design
Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were recovered from the crash site—one from a rooftop on 13 June and the other from the debris on 16 June.
The devices were handled as per standard operating procedures and kept under continuous police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad.
On 24 June, both black boxes were transported with full security by Indian Air Force aircraft to Delhi. The front unit arrived at the AAIB Lab with the DG, AAIB at 2 PM, while the rear unit reached the lab later that evening at 5:15 PM.
The data extraction process began on the evening of 24 June. By 25 June, the memory module from the front black box was successfully accessed, and its data downloaded. The analysis of both the CVR and FDR is now in progress.
This crucial phase will help investigators reconstruct the final moments of the flight and identify any contributing factors behind the crash. The AAIB emphasized that all actions have been carried out in compliance with Indian law and international aviation standards, and within a time-bound framework.
Further updates are expected once the data analysis concludes.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
