Ahmedabad: The initial findings from the investigation into the deadly Air India AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad are expected to be released within the next 2 days, according to sources familiar with the probe. The tragic incident, which claimed at least 260 lives, stands as one of the gravest air disasters in Indian aviation history. During a recent session of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, members were briefed that the preliminary investigation report might be released around July 12, marking one month since the crash occurred.
On Wednesday, the committee held a meeting where the Director General of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), G.V.G. Yugandhar, informed members that “a preliminary report on the Ahmedabad plane crash will be released in the next few days.” According to sources, the report may be made public as early as two days from now. Under the ICAO norms, AAIB can submit a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident to it.
The AAIB confirmed that both black boxes from the downed Boeing Dreamliner have been recovered without damage and are being decoded and analysed. Officials told that panel that this is the first time the black box of a crashed plane is being investigated in India. Investigators are working closely with experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to align the flight data and cockpit voice recordings with the aircraft’s technical parameters and final communication with Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control prior to the crash.
To assist with this, critical diagnostic equipment provided by the NTSB was flown into India and has been handed over to the AAIB. The black boxes were transferred separately from Ahmedabad to Delhi under strict security measures to ensure their integrity, sources said.
In a rare step, authorities have transported the aircraft wreckage to a secure location near Ahmedabad airport. There, a partial reconstruction of the Boeing Dreamliner has been undertaken. Investigators are using this physical reconstruction to assess damage patterns and corroborate them with digital data extracted from the black boxes.
The meeting also saw several committee members raise concerns over what they described as a consistent “non-implementation of previous recommendations” related to civil aviation oversight, sources revealed. Senior officials from key aviation agencies, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), were in attendance. Representatives from major airlines such as Air India and IndiGo, as well as stakeholders from helicopter services, also participated.
Ahead of the meeting, some members were reportedly preparing to question the Civil Aviation Secretary and other MoCA officials on the specifics of the AI 171 tragedy, particularly on the cause of the crash, progress of the probe, and when definitive answers would be made public.
Also Read: Supreme Court Pulls Up Election Commission On Bihar Electoral Roll Revision