Black box transported to Delhi as Air India crash investigation enters crucial phase with decoding in progress
by Utsav Roy
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has commenced decoding and analyzing the black box data retrieved from the wreckage of Air India Flight AI171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, according to an official statement issued Thursday.
In alignment with international aviation investigation protocols, both critical flight recorders, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), were recovered from the crash site. One device was found atop a building on June 13, while the second was extracted from the scattered debris on June 16. Both were subsequently transported to Delhi for forensic analysis.
As India’s designated authority for civil aviation crash investigations, AAIB is spearheading the inquiry, the government confirmed. The CVR and FDR were kept under strict security with continuous police watch and CCTV coverage until they were transported from Ahmedabad to Delhi on June 24, using Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.
On June 24, at around 2:00 PM, the front black box arrived at the AAIB laboratory in Delhi, accompanied by the Director General of the AAIB. Later that evening, at approximately 5:15 PM, the second recorder, referred to as the rear black box, also reached the AAIB lab, carried in by another investigative team.
The government’s statement affirmed that the process of data extraction began on the same evening. The team, led by the DG of AAIB, included experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as well as technical specialists from AAIB itself. During the process, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front recorder was successfully retrieved. On June 25, the memory component was accessed, and its data was successfully downloaded.
According to the statement, the investigation had officially been initiated on June 13 with the formation of a multidisciplinary team. This panel was established according to international norms under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines. The group comprises AAIB technical staff, US NTSB advisors, an aviation medical expert, and an Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer.
As of June 25, the memory from the CVR was successfully extracted, and both sets of data are now under review. Authorities noted that the aim of this analytical process is to piece together the timeline and technical circumstances that led to the fatal crash. Findings from the analysis will contribute to strengthening aviation safety protocols and minimizing the risk of similar incidents in the future.
India, as a signatory to the 1944 Chicago Convention, is obligated to conduct aircraft accident investigations under ICAO’s Annex 13 and national regulations, specifically the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
The government emphasized that all actions undertaken so far have adhered strictly to both international responsibilities and domestic legal frameworks, and that the process is proceeding in a time-bound and transparent manner.