Air India investigators probing whether fatal flight that crashed killing 260 was 'sabotaged'
There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it.
Air India investigators are probing whether a tragic plane crash which killed 260 people was caused by 'sabotage'.
India's Minister of State for Civil Aviation said investigators are assessing the tragic Air India plane crash, which killed 241 people onboard and 19 on the ground earlier this month.
Only one passenger, British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash on June 12, which happened shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad in western India.
The plane, with 52 Brits on board, was bound for London Gatwick.
An investigation was immediately launched after the tragedy, and the Indian government has now revealed investigators are looking into sabotage as a possible cause.
Murlidhar Mohol, the country's Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said: 'The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun a full probe. It is being assessed from all angles, including any possible sabotage.'
There has previously been speculation of potential sabotage, but this is the first time officials have formally acknowledged they are looking into it as a possible cause of the crash.
On Thursday, the country's civil aviation ministry said investigators had begun analysing data extracted from the black boxes of the plane. The data is crucial as it will help shed light on the cause of the crash.
'These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences,' the ministry said.
The probe is being carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, with support from the US National Transport Safety Board.
Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site a couple of days after the crash. These boxes - which are typically orange, not black - are considered the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash.
There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder.
The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to the national capital, New Delhi, in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months.
In addition to the investigation, the Indian government has also set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future.
The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months.
The Air India Flight 171 disaster is the most deadly aviation incident involving British nationals since 9/11.
Addressing what happened before the incident, sole survivor Mr Ramesh said: "When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.
"Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded."
Following the crash, Indian authorities ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents.
The airline has 33 Dreamliners in its fleet.
Inspection has been completed for at least 26, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon.
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