New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) The Government today said data from the black boxes of the Air India aircraft that crashed a fortnight ago, killing 271 people, has been successfully retrieved and is currently being analysed to piece together the events that led to the deadly disaster.
A joint team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently analysing the data, it said.
Giving details of the data retrieval process, the Aviation Ministry in a statement said here, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was recovered on June 24 and the following day, a team of technicians successfully downloaded the data at the labs of Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
“Efforts are now underway to examine information from both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The aim is to reconstruct the timeline of the crash, identify possible causes, and implement improvements to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” said the Ministry.
It confirmed that the two recorders were found at the crash site—one retrieved from a rooftop on June 13 and the other from debris on June 16. Strict protocols were followed for their handling, storage, and transport, with the devices kept under constant police guard and video surveillance in Ahmedabad.
On June 24, the black boxes were securely transported by Indian Air Force aircraft from Ahmedabad to Delhi.
“The memory module from the front black box was accessed successfully on June 25, and data analysis is now in progress,” it added.
The Ministry emphasised that all procedures have been carried out in accordance with national laws and international aviation standards, within the expected timeframe.
Bound for London's Gatwick Airport, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board had lost height seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad on June 12 and erupted in a fireball as it hit a medical college hostel. There was one survivor among those on the plane, and the crash also killed 19 people on ground. UNI AJ SSP