The civil aviation ministry on Thursday clarified that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will decide the location for decoding the flight data from the black boxes of the crashed Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad. The decision, the ministry stated, will be made after due assessment of technical, safety, and security considerations.
In an official statement, the ministry confirmed that a multidisciplinary AAIB team had completed key recovery operations, including site documentation and evidence collection. Further analysis is currently underway.
The ministry also countered media reports suggesting that the black box would be sent to the US for data extraction. “The decision regarding the location for decoding the flight recorders will be taken by the AAIB after due assessment of all technical, safety, and security considerations,” the statement said.
Black Box Recovery and Its Role
Two sets of black boxes were recovered—one on June 13 and another on June 16—from the wreckage of the Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 aircraft is equipped with two Enhanced Airborne Data Recorders (EADR)—one at each end of the plane—for redundancy. Each unit includes both the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
Officials said the recovered recorders contain critical data, such as:
- Pilot voice recordings
- Button and lever activity
- Instrument settings
- System performance
This data is vital to understanding the sequence of events that led to the June 12 crash, which claimed the lives of 270 people, including passengers, crew, and those on the ground. The flight was headed to London, carrying 242 persons on board, including 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The sole survivor was a British national, Viswash Kumar Ramesh.
Govt Assures Transparency
The ministry emphasized that the government remains committed to full transparency in the investigation. It assured that all international protocols and safety norms will be strictly followed in the interest of passenger safety and accountability.
This investigation is being closely watched as it marks one of the worst aviation disasters in India’s history.