New Delhi, 26 June

The government on Thursday said data is being extracted from black boxes, and analysis of cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash of the Air India plane in Ahmedabad on 12 June.

Providing a detailed update a fortnight after the fatal accident that killed 270 people, the civil aviation ministry said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) promptly initiated an investigation and constituted a multi-disciplinary team headed by the AAIB chief on 13 June in line with prescribed norms.

The team includes an aviation medicine specialist, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer, and representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), it said in a statement.

The ministry's statement came on a day when Opposition Congress on Thursday attacked the government over the lead investigator reportedly not being appointed till now for the probe into the Ahmedabad plane crash, saying the delay is "inexplicable and inexcusable".

Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 en-route to London Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel complex soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June, killing 270 people, including 241 people who were onboard the plane.

"On the evening of 24 June, the team led by AAIB DG with technical members from AAIB and NTSB began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab," the ministry said.

The AAIB Lab was inaugurated in the national capital in April this year.

"The analysis of CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and FDR (Flight Data Recorder) data is underway. 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 noted.

Boeing 787 aircraft has two black boxes, each having a CVR and an FDR.

The ministry also emphasised that all actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time-bound manner.

Both the CVRs and FDRs were recovered within a week after the accident. One was retrieved from a rooftop of the building at the crash site on 13 June, and the other from the debris on 16 June.

"Standard Operating Procedures were issued for their secure handling, storage, and transportation. The devices were kept under 24x7 police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad.

"Subsequently, the black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft with full security on 24 June, 2025. The front black box arrived at AAIB Lab, Delhi, with the DG, AAIB at 1400 hrs on 24 June, 2025. The rear black box was brought by a second AAIB team and reached AAIB Lab, Delhi at 1715 hrs on 24 June, 2025," the ministry said.

Regarding the probe, the ministry said the multi-disciplinary team has been constituted as per the international protocol.

The team includes "an aviation medicine specialist, an ATC officer, and representatives from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is a government investigative agency from the state of manufacture and design, (USA), as required for such investigations," the statement said.

GVG Yugandhar is the DG of AAIB.

India, as a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944), investigates aircraft accidents in accordance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, a high-level multi-disciplinary committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, is examining the causes that led to the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, and also suggest comprehensive guidelines to prevent such incidents in the future.