Air India Plane Crash: Probe Team Submits Report, Ministry to Decide Next Move

The team investigating the Air India plane crash that occurred in Ahmedabad has submitted its preliminary report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In the tragic accident, 260 people lost their lives. However, it is still unclear what exactly caused the crash, as the report does not disclose the conclusions reached by the investigators.

Details of the Incident

It is worth noting that the crash occurred on June 12, when an Air India flight bound for London crashed just moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, colliding with a hostel building in the Meghaninagar area. The accident claimed the lives of 241 passengers on board and several people on the ground. Miraculously, one passenger survived.

Black Box Data Recovery and Use of Golden Chassis

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the aircraft's front black box was safely recovered. On June 25, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed, and the data was downloaded at the AAIB lab in Delhi.

Sources revealed that a duplicate black box—referred to as the "Golden Chassis"—was used to confirm data recovery. The first black box was found on June 13 on the roof of a building at the crash site, while the second black box was recovered from the debris on June 16.

Indian and American Experts on the Investigation Team

The investigation is being led by senior officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Technical experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are also included in the team, as the crashed aircraft was designed and built in the United States.

According to sources, the NTSB team is currently stationed in Delhi and is working alongside Indian officials at the AAIB lab. Representatives from Boeing and GE are also assisting with the technical analysis.

Black Box Analysis Now Possible Within India

Previously, India had to rely on labs in the UK, USA, France, Italy, Canada, and Russia to decode black box data from aviation accidents. Now, with the establishment of the state-of-the-art AAIB lab in Delhi, it is possible to analyse both Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) domestically.

Past Major Incidents Where Black Box Decoding Happened Abroad

• In 1996, data from the Charkhi Dadri crash was decoded in Moscow and the UK.
• In the 2010 Mangalore crash, the NTSB in the USA investigated the black box.
• In the 2015 Delhi aircraft crash, Canada’s Transport Safety Board conducted the analysis.
• During the Kozhikode accident in 2020, the recorder was downloaded in India, but data processing was aided by the NTSB.