Ahmedabad: In a critical update to the investigation into the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171, officials have revealed that the aircraft’s black box sustained damage and may need to be sent to the United States for further analysis. Sources close to the probe indicate that the final decision will rest with the Indian government.
The black box, a crucial tool in aviation crash investigations, is composed of two components: the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). These devices are designed to capture key flight information and cockpit communications leading up to an incident.
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was en route from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to London’s Gatwick Airport when it crashed just seconds after takeoff on June 12. The aircraft lost altitude shortly after lifting off at 1:39 PM, ultimately plunging into a residential building in the BJ Medical College hostel complex in the Meghani Nagar area. The crash claimed the lives of 241 people, including 33 on the ground. Remarkably, only one passenger—a British-Indian man seated in 11A—survived the catastrophe.
The black box was recovered 28 hours after the crash from the debris and wreckage. Despite being popularly called “black,” these devices are in fact painted bright orange to increase their visibility during recovery operations.
According to sources, if domestic experts are unable to fully retrieve the data due to the extent of the damage, the recorder may be transported to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington D.C. A team of Indian aviation investigators is expected to accompany the black box if it is sent overseas, ensuring that all international protocols and chain-of-custody procedures are maintained.
The CVR is designed to capture cockpit conversations, environmental sounds, radio transmissions with Air Traffic Control (ATC), and any warning alerts. However, the Boeing 787-8 in question was delivered in 2014, prior to the global mandate in 2021 requiring 25-hour recording capabilities. As such, the recorder on board likely had only two hours of audio data stored before the crash.
Meanwhile, the FDR collects a broad range of flight parameters including altitude, airspeed, heading, vertical acceleration, and even the precise movements of aircraft control surfaces. Modern FDRs can log thousands of data points every second, providing investigators with a comprehensive view of aircraft behavior in the moments leading up to a crash.
Aviation Ministry sources confirmed that the aircraft never climbed above 600 feet before its ascent stalled. Approximately 36 seconds after takeoff, Ahmedabad ATC received a distress call from the cockpit, which was followed by complete radio silence. Seconds later, the jet slammed into the medical hostel complex, sparking a massive fire.
This incident has once again brought attention to flight safety standards and emergency response preparedness in India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector. Investigators are now racing against time to retrieve and interpret the data from the damaged black box, which could offer vital clues into what caused one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent Indian history.
As families await answers and the lone survivor continues to recover, the spotlight is now on aviation regulators and Air India’s operational procedures. The recovery and analysis of the black box data could be the key to understanding the mechanical, human, or procedural failures that led to this unprecedented tragedy.
