A high-level committee convened by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation met on Monday to probe the catastrophic Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed at least 270 lives, including 241 passengers and crew and 29 people on the ground. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical college hostel in the Meghani Nagar residential area seconds after takeoff on June 12, marking one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent history.
Investigators have recovered both black boxes the digital flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder providing critical evidence to unravel the cause of the tragedy. A 59-second CCTV video capturing the plane’s takeoff and subsequent crash at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is also under scrutiny, offering visual and audio clues, including indications of a possible rare dual engine failure.
The committee, tasked with examining mechanical failures, human error, weather conditions, and regulatory compliance, aims to deliver a preliminary report within three months. New standard operating procedures to prevent future incidents are also expected. Meanwhile, India has mandated inspections of all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to ensure safety.
Identification of victims remains a slow and painful process due to the crash’s intense fireball, which left most bodies unrecognizable. As of Monday, 119 victims have been identified through DNA matching, with 80 bodies released to families. Funerals have begun in Ahmedabad, including that of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, whose coffin was draped in the Indian flag.
The sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, emerged from the wreckage in a bloodstained shirt, as seen in a video circulating on social media. His survival has been described as miraculous. On the ground, 33 medical college students perished when the plane struck their hostel, leaving families grappling with grief and frustration over delays in body identification.
Air India’s chairman, N. Chandrasekaran, addressed staff, urging them to use the tragedy as a catalyst to strengthen safety measures. Tata Group, Air India’s parent company, has pledged ₹1 crore ($116,868) to the families of each victim, as stated in a post on X. The crash, the first fatal incident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has drawn international attention, with U.S. and U.K. aviation officials assisting the investigation.
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A separate Air India Boeing 787 flight from Hong Kong to India turned back midair on Monday due to a technical issue, underscoring heightened safety concerns following the Ahmedabad disaster. As the investigation continues, families of the victims, including 53 Britons, await closure, with some, like the relatives of three British victims, calling for increased U.K. government support.