AAIB submits an initial report on the Air India aircraft crash
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and other pertinent agencies have received the preliminary report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) regarding the Air India 171 crash. According to senior government sources, this report—which is predicated on preliminary evaluations and preliminary findings—should be released later this week.
On June 12, seconds after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, Air India flight AI171, headed for London, slammed into a medical college hostel. The terrible catastrophe claimed the lives of up to 241 individuals on board the aircraft and 19 on the ground. Amazingly, one passenger had survived the fatal collision.
On June 13 and June 16, two sets of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were retrieved from the accident site. There are two sets of black boxes in this airplane model.
On June 12 itself, an AAIB multidisciplinary team started looking into the crash. The DG of the AAIB ordered the probe. In accordance with ICAO procedures, US NTSB and OEM teams also came to support the AAIB.
According to reports, the authorities investigated if the incident could have been caused by a dual-engine failure.
Technical specialists from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which represents the nation where the aircraft was designed and built, are part of the investigation, which is being headed by AAIB personnel.
The AAIB’s Director General is in charge of the investigation. An air traffic control officer and an aviation medical specialist are also part of the investigating team. At the AAIB Lab, the NTSB crew also collaborated closely with Indian authorities. The technical investigation was also attended by representatives from engine manufacturer GE and Boeing.
Black boxes from Indian aircraft crashes were formerly usually transported to facilities in the US, UK, France, Italy, Canada, and Russia for decryption. India did not have the infrastructure necessary to analyze black box data from significant domestic crashes.
However, India can now decode flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders domestically thanks to the construction of a fully functional AAIB Lab in Delhi.