New Delhi: The black boxes recovered from the wreckage of Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed just 36 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, have sustained varying levels of damage, casting fresh uncertainty over what led to one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent history.
The tragic crash claimed 274 lives, including 33 people on the ground, when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, plunged into a residential neighborhood near Meghani Nagar, triggering a massive blaze. The aircraft had lifted off at 1:39 PM and lost thrust shortly thereafter, according to a brief distress call from the cockpit. One passenger—a British-Indian national seated in 11A—miraculously survived after being flung from the wreckage.
Now, as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) begins its crucial probe, aviation sources have revealed that one of the black boxes—possibly the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) or Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR)—has suffered significant external damage, likely due to the impact or a fall during the crash. The other remains in relatively better condition.
Both recorders are currently in secure custody under AAIB supervision. However, a delicate and high-stakes decision looms: where to send the units for analysis. Potential options include specialized facilities at HAL (Lucknow), the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, or Singapore’s air crash investigation lab.
Investigators are particularly cautious about handling the damaged black box, fearing that improper opening could compromise the binary-encoded data stored inside. This data—once decoded and translated into engineering format—will be vital in reconstructing the final moments of AI-171.
Sources say there is a possibility that the less-damaged unit’s data can be retrieved domestically, while the more compromised recorder may require international forensic expertise. A decision is expected soon.
Black boxes, despite the name, are bright orange to help with visibility in crash debris. Onboard AI-171, the CVR was likely limited to a two-hour recording capacity, as the Boeing 787 aircraft was delivered in 2014, before new 2021 regulations mandating 25-hour cockpit audio recordings.
The Flight Data Recorder (FDR), however, is expected to have stored critical operational metrics—altitude, airspeed, heading, engine thrust, flap positions, and more. In modern jets, such recorders track thousands of parameters over extended durations.
Together, the CVR and FDR data form the backbone of any official crash report—helping experts determine whether technical failure, human error, or external factors led to the disaster.
Officials remain uncertain whether a preliminary or full crash report will be issued in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has intensified random inspections and safety audits across carriers operating similar wide-body aircraft as a precautionary measure.
Investigators are also examining aircraft debris and material samples from the runway surface, leaving no possibility—including sabotage—off the table.
“This is a mystery,” said a senior aviation official familiar with the probe. “The black boxes are the only way we’ll ever know what happened in that cockpit.”
The crash site, located dangerously close to the airport’s northeast perimeter, saw not just aviation fatalities but also significant civilian loss. A medical college hostel was among the structures damaged in the impact, compounding the human tragedy.
In the wake of the crash, emotional vigils and calls for accountability have swept across the country and diaspora communities abroad. Families of the victims await answers, as investigators work against the clock to unlock the story encrypted inside two battered black boxes.
With one survivor and countless questions, the fate of Air India Flight AI-171 remains a painful enigma—one that only data and determination can now unravel.
