Air India plane crash: Black box data downloaded, may disclose sequence of events that led to deadly accident
Almost a fortnight after an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad killing 274 people, the government on Thursday announced that critical flight data from the front black box of the plane has been successfully retrieved. On June 25, 2025, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) was safely recovered, and the memory module was accessed and its data downloaded at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab.
The analysis of Cockpit Voice Recorders and Flight Data Recorders data is underway. 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.
ALSO READ: Two weeks after Air India crash, probe lead not named
Both the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) were recovered—one from a rooftop of the building at the crash site on 13 June, 2025 and the other from the debris on 16 June, 2025. The devices were kept under 24x7 police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad. ALSO READ: Authorities identify all but one of 260 victims of Air India plane crash
Subsequently, the black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft with full security on June 24.
AAIB is yet to appoint a lead investigator to probe the accident. The delay, say experts, raises questions on the efficiency of the probe process which has to be necessarily completed in a time-bound manner.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules stipulate that the investigator-in-charge of an air crash will be responsible for the organisation, conduct and control of the probe. ICAO's Annex 13, which outlines guidelines for aircraft accident and incident investigations, also states that a preliminary report has to be submitted within 30 days of an accident.The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, lost height seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12 and erupted in a fireball as it hit a medical college hostel.There was one survivor among those on the plane, and the crash also killed 19 people on ground.The death count was below the authorities' earlier estimate of 270 but officials remained cautious on the final toll."We have identified 259 victims. They include 240 passengers and 19 non-passengers. DNA test result of one passenger is still awaited," said Rakesh Joshi, superintendent of Ahmedabad civil hospital."The site of the crash is still being cleared. Unless we are certain that no additional victims are going to be found, we cannot declare the final death toll," Joshi added.
The remains of the 256 people have been handed over to their families, the local government said in a statement, adding that 253 victims were identified through DNA sample matching and the remaining six through facial identification.
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