Information retrieved from the black boxes of the crashed Air India Dreamliner (Flight AI-171) on June 12 in Ahmedabad has been downloaded successfully, the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed in a statement . This is a major step towards the ongoing investigation into the accident.
“The analysis of (black boxes) 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 said, responding to criticism over the speed of the investigation.
The statement comes against the backdrop of criticism by some quarters over the delay in making public the composition of the investigation team and the lack of a preliminary report within a fortnight of the accident.
The ministry described the process of extraction, saying, “On the evening of June 24, the DG Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) led team with technical members from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) initiated the data extraction process. The ‘crash protection module’ (CPM) of the front black box was recovered safely and on June 25, the memory module was successfully read out and its data downloaded at the AAIB lab.
Justifying its investigatory process, the release stated that the AAIB had “immediately launched an investigation and assembled a multidisciplinary team on June 13, in accordance with prescribed standards.” It also explained that the team, constituted in accordance with international procedure, is headed by the DG AAIB and comprises an aviation medicine expert, an ATC officer, and the NTSB representatives, the government investigatory agency of the aircraft’s state of manufacture and design (USA), as mandated in the case of such investigations.
Both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were retrieved from the wreckage site. One black box was discovered on the rooftop of a building on June 13, and the other from the wreckage on June 16. The ministry highlighted that “standard operating procedures were issued for their secure handling, storage, and transportation.” The equipments were placed under 24×7 police guard and CCTV watch in Ahmedabad before it was shipped to Delhi.
The black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to Delhi in a full security escort by an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane on June 24, 2025. The front black box was received at the AAIB Lab in Delhi with the DG, AAIB, at 2 PM on June 24, and the rear black box was flown by a second team of AAIB, reaching the lab a few hours later at 5:15 PM.
“All steps have been taken in accordance with domestic regulations and international commitments within a time-bound approach,” the government had asserted. Being a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944), India maintains that it investigates aircraft accidents as per ICAO Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, with the AAIB being the nominated body for such investigations.”
