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Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAIB Probe Unbiased: Naidu
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully retrieved data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last month, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday. He said it was the first instance of successful decoding of a crashed aircraft's black box within the country. Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu assured the members that AAIB's ongoing probe into the air crash was 'transparent, rule-based and unbiased,' and followed international protocols. He added that the final AAIB report on the AI171 accident will include a detailed causal analysis, identify contributing factors, and recommend safety measures. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Finance Leadership Data Science Others Management CXO PGDM healthcare Healthcare others Digital Marketing Degree Project Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Data Science Operations Management Technology MCA MBA Cybersecurity Public Policy Product Management Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta SEPO - IIMC CFO India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Fintech & Blockchain India Starts on undefined Get Details 'Until that report is out, we should not draw conclusions. We want to stand with the truth. Whatever the report says, we will act on it,' the minister said. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules stipulate that the final report should be published within a year of an air crash. He noted that until now, India had been dependent on overseas labs to decode damaged cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). 'However, for the first time, India took the initiative to decode the black box domestically, even if it appeared damaged externally. This decoding was successfully completed within the country,' he said. On June 12, an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on a scheduled flight to London Gatwick. The aircraft lost power on both engines and descended into a residential area, severely affecting the BJ Medical College hostel. Of the 242 people on board, all but one passenger survived. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed. A preliminary report released on July 12 by AAIB found that the crash was caused by dual engine failure due to disengagement of fuel control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines. The reasons behind the movement of switches from the 'Run' to 'Cutoff' mode is currently under investigation. Industry executives and experts said AAIB's initial report has raised more questions than it answers. While the report confirmed that both engine fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position shortly after take-off, it offered no explanation for why or how that occurred. Also, insufficient timeline, analysis, or human factor assessment left key details unclear, including who moved the switches, whether it was intentional, accidental, or due to a system failure, said experts, adding that the report's limited scope is triggering speculation and causing uncertainty around one of India's worst aviation disasters. Naidu, the AAIB, and also the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US have previously criticised the Western media after a series of international reports speculated on the causes of the AI171 crash before the probe was completed. These reports included interpretations of cockpit voice recordings and suggested possible errors or intent, despite the AAIB having only released a preliminary factual report, not a causal analysis. Naidu said a high-level committee led by the home secretary was formed immediately after the crash. The committee has a three-month timeline to recommend improvements in routine safety inspections and pilot training standards, drawing on global best practices. Responding to another question, Naidu informed that 'during the last six months, no adverse trend has been reported in reliability reports of Air India in respect of crashed aircraft'. During this period, a total of nine show cause notices were issued to Air India for five identified safety violations, he said, adding enforcement action has been taken in respect of one violation. Separately, addressing the issue of vacancies in the civil aviation regulator, Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is currently operating at about 55% of its sanctioned technical capacity. However, he explained that this was because many new posts have been created only recently. 'This year, we plan to recruit 190 more, with selection expected to conclude by end-October,' he said. 'Nonetheless, we're expediting the process and aiming to fill 90% of the vacancies soon.' According to a Rajya Sabha document, reviewed by ET, between 2022 and 2024, 441 posts were created in the DGCA, including 426 technical posts. In 2024, 84 operational posts were created in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) as part of a restructuring. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) recently added 840 posts for Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs), another Rajya Sabha document showed.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
AAIB probe into Air India Boeing 787 crash is unbiased: Aviation Minister Ram Naidu
Mumbai: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has successfully retrieved data from the black box of the Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed in Ahmedabad last month, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Monday. He said it was the first instance of successful decoding of a crashed aircraft's black box within the country. Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu assured the members that AAIB's ongoing probe into the air crash was "transparent, rule-based and unbiased," and followed international protocols. He added that the final AAIB report on the AI171 accident will include a detailed causal analysis, identify contributing factors, and recommend safety measures. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category healthcare Digital Marketing Others Operations Management Data Analytics PGDM Degree Management Leadership CXO Cybersecurity Product Management Healthcare Project Management Public Policy Technology Data Science Finance Artificial Intelligence Data Science Design Thinking others MCA MBA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Lucknow CERT-IIML Healthcare Management India Starts on undefined Get Details "Until that report is out, we should not draw conclusions. We want to stand with the truth. Whatever the report says, we will act on it," the minister said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Private Jet - The Prices May Surprise You! Private Jet I Search Ads Learn More Undo Initial Findings Raised More Questions International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules stipulate that the final report should be published within a year of an air crash. Live Events He noted that until now, India had been dependent on overseas labs to decode damaged cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) and flight data recorders (FDRs). 'However, for the first time, India took the initiative to decode the black box domestically, even if it appeared damaged externally. This decoding was successfully completed within the country,' he said. On June 12, an Air India 787-8 Dreamliner jet crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on a scheduled flight to London Gatwick. The aircraft lost power on both engines and descended into a residential area, severely affecting the BJ Medical College hostel. Of the 242 people on board, all but one passenger survived. An additional 19 people on the ground were killed. A preliminary report released on July 12 by AAIB found that the crash was caused by dual engine failure due to disengagement of fuel control switches, which regulate the flow of fuel to the engines. The reasons behind the movement of switches from the 'Run' to 'Cutoff' mode is currently under investigation. Industry executives and experts said AAIB's initial report has raised more questions than it answers. While the report confirmed that both engine fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position shortly after take-off, it offered no explanation for why or how that occurred. Key details left out Also, insufficient timeline, analysis, or human factor assessment left key details unclear, including who moved the switches, whether it was intentional, accidental, or due to a system failure, said experts, adding that the report's limited scope is triggering speculation and causing uncertainty around one of India's worst aviation disasters. Naidu, the AAIB, and also the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US have previously criticised the Western media after a series of international reports speculated on the causes of the AI171 crash before the probe was completed. These reports included interpretations of cockpit voice recordings and suggested possible errors or intent, despite the AAIB having only released a preliminary factual report, not a causal analysis. Naidu said a high-level committee led by the home secretary was formed immediately after the crash. The committee has a three-month timeline to recommend improvements in routine safety inspections and pilot training standards, drawing on global best practices.
