In his first official statement following the tragic Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that the black box from the downed aircraft has been recovered and is currently undergoing decoding. The data retrieved is expected to offer vital insights into the sequence of events that led to the crash. Multiple investigative agencies and high-level panels have been mobilised to conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident.
“The Ministry is treating the incident with the utmost seriousness. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was immediately activated. The Director General of AAIB rushed to the crash site to assess the situation firsthand,” Naidu stated. “The technical investigation team, operating under AAIB, recovered the black box from the crash site around 5 pm yesterday.”
He further noted that the decoding process is crucial to understanding what transpired in the moments leading up to and during the crash. “The AAIB team believes the black box will provide in-depth insight into the circumstances of the crash. We are awaiting the findings of their full investigation with great urgency,” the minister said.
Naidu also addressed the broader safety framework governing Indian civil aviation. He emphasised that India maintains strict safety protocols and that immediate steps have been taken to examine the Boeing aircraft fleet following the accident. “We have very stringent safety standards in the country. After the incident, we felt the need to undertake extended surveillance of the Boeing 787 series. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued orders for this. Of the 34 Boeing 787 aircraft currently in India’s fleet, eight have already undergone inspection, and the remaining will be checked with utmost urgency,” he added.
Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, who spoke to the media prior to the minister, shared details about the flight’s journey. He confirmed that the aircraft had completed its Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector without any reported issues. “The aircraft had successfully completed its route from Paris to Delhi to Ahmedabad before the crash occurred,” Sinha said.
The ill-fated aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating as flight AI 171, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members when it crashed into a medical hostel and its adjoining canteen complex in Meghaninagar shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. The tragedy claimed the lives of 270 people.
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