Air India Crash Black Box Data Retrieved as Investigators Probe Fatal Boeing 787 Accident in Ahmedabad
Black box data from the deadly Air India disaster is downloaded by Indian investigators.
Ahmedabad Air India aircraft crash
Following the catastrophe in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025, the tail of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is seen lodged on a building.
Reuters, NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON, June 26 In a long-awaited step toward comprehending the worst aviation catastrophe in a decade, India’s civil aviation ministry announced on Thursday that investigators have retrieved flight recorder data from an Air India crash this month that claimed 260 lives.
The Boeing (BA.N) headed to London opens a new tab On June 12, the 787 Dreamliner crashed just after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 of the 242 persons on board and the remaining passengers on the ground.
In the days that followed, the plane’s black boxes,the flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were found. On June 16, they were found in the wreckage, and on June 13, they were found on the roof of a building at the crash site.
According to the government, a team from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) accessed data from the front recorder on Wednesday.
“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 stated in a statement.
Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, told Reuters on Thursday that she hopes the Indian government would be able to quickly provide information from the crash investigation.
On the margins of an aviation event, Homendy stated, “We hope that they will make their findings public swiftly for aviation safety and for public safety and public awareness.”
According to her, “we have had excellent cooperation from the Indian government and the AAIB.” The NTSB team has been working hard to help India.
According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the investigation into the accident of the Air India aircraft, which began to lose height after reaching 650 feet in the air, focuses on engine thrust.
Investigators think the Dreamliner had its emergency-power generator running when it crashed, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A preliminary report is anticipated approximately 30 days following the accident, and the majority of air crashes are caused by a combination of causes.
Boeing’s 787 aircraft are equipped with two GE (GE.N) opens new tab recorders, one at the front and one at the back, which capture the identical set of flight data. An “enhanced airborne flight recorder” a device that records both flight data and cockpit voice was also built by GE, which dispatched expertise to India to construct the engines for the Air India 787.
According to a 2014 NTSB report, the forward recorder has a separate power supply that can operate the device for approximately ten minutes in the event that the plane’s power source fails.
According to three experts who spoke to Reuters, the decision to start downloading recorder data about two weeks after the crash was abnormally delayed and came after rumors circulated that the so-called black boxes may be taken to the US for examination.
According to U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse, in a high-profile incident like this, accident investigators would normally have already provided an update on the recorders’ condition and started downloading data.
“Normally countries know that the world is watching,” he stated.
Last Monday, India stated that it had not yet determined the location for the analysis of the black boxes. The information recovered from them may offer important hints about the operation of the aircraft and any discussions the pilots may have had before the tragedy.
India has claimed that its measures were carried out in a timely manner and in complete accordance with both international and local legislation.
Looking for the perfect place to record? Check out the best podcast studio in Mumbai for professional sound and creative vibes.
Stay updated with the latest Trending, India , and World news. Get breaking news and key updates here on Maharashtra Election
