Black box of crashed Air India plane still in India, being examined: Minister
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Black box of crashed Air India plane still in India, being examined: Minister
The black box of the Air India flight that crashed in Gujarat is still in India. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that it is being probed by the Aircraft Accidents Investigations Bureau. Reports claimed that India was likely to send the black box to the United States for data recovery as the recorder sustained heavy external damage due to the fire following the deadly crash. However, Director General of India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, GVG Yugandhar, later clarified in an emailed message to news agency Reuters that the report was “factually incorrect” The ill-fated flight carrying 242 passengers of various nationalities crashed on a hostel of medical students near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel International Airport on June 12.
This came after reports claimed that India was likely to send the black box to the United States for data recovery as the recorder sustained heavy external damage due to the fire following the deadly crash.
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However, Director General of India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, GVG Yugandhar, later clarified in an emailed message to news agency Reuters that the report was “factually incorrect”, without giving further details.
The ill-fated flight carrying 242 passengers of various nationalities crashed on a hostel of medical students near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Patel International Airport on June 12. While one passenger survived, the death toll in the incident reached 274.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when the tragedy occurred. This was the first fatal accident involving a 787 since the model entered commercial service in 2011.
Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered a one-time safety check of all Dreamliner aircraft in Air India’s fleet. So far, inspections have been completed on nine of the airline’s 33 Boeing 787s, with checks on the remaining aircraft ongoing.
WHY BLACK BOX IS IMPORTANT
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On June 12, the Air India flight crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel building in Ahmedabad within seconds of take-off. The tragic incident left 274 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board and over two dozen others on the ground, dead.
Such was the intensity that the temperature in and around the crash site reached about 1,000 degrees Celsius. This probably explains why the black box, despite being designed to survive extreme conditions, suffered such extensive damage.
The AAIB, which has been given three months to complete the probe, recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) as well as the flight data recorder (FDR) two days after the crash.
The CVR, which captures audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations, and FDR collectively form what is known as the “black box”.
Decoding the black box is significant as it would provide an in-depth insight into what led to the crash and the moments before the tragedy itself.
While the exact reason behind the crash will only be known after decoding the black box, an aviation expert has suggested dual engine failure as a possible cause.
Former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner, in an interview with India Today, suggested that the deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT) shortly after takeoff pointed to a dual engine failure.
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Published By: Sahil Sinha Published On: Jun 24, 2025
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