The Indian government on Thursday provided an update on the investigation into the fateful Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crash that happened on June 12, which led to a death toll of over 270.
The Indian authorities have managed to recover both black boxes from the flight, and the investigation of the data is underway.
Investigation of the Air India crash underway
The Indian government issued a press release providing an update on the black boxes. The authorities said that it is investigating the crash in accordance with the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944) rules.
The official authority for such investigations is the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
The official press release stated:
“Following the unfortunate accident involving Air India Flight AI-171, the AAIB promptly initiated an investigation and constituted a multidisciplinary team on 13 June 2025, in line with prescribed norms. The team, constituted as per international protocol, is led by DG AAIB, and includes an aviation medicine specialist, an ATC officer, and representatives from National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) which is government investigative agency from the state of manufacture and design, (USA), as required for such investigations.”
Update on Black Boxes
The authorities were able to recover the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) as well as the Flight Data Recorders (FDR) from the Air India flight. They recovered the CVR from the rooftop of the site of the crash at the hostel of the medical college in Meghani Nagar. The FDR was recovered from the debris a few days later on June 16.
The devices were secured and stored in Ahmedabad under constant surveillance as per ‘Standard Operating Procedures.’
The black boxes were then transferred securely to Delhi by an Indian Air Force aircraft on June 24.
The process of data extraction from the black box began on the subsequent evening. The responsible team, headed by DG AAIB, also included technical members from AAIB and the National Transport Safety Board of the United States.
They were able to safely extract the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box. After that, they were also able to access the memory module while downloading its data at the AAIB Lab.
The statement further said:
“The analysis of CVR and FDR 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. All actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time-bound manner.”
Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed within minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad Airport on June 12. It crashed into a medical hostel in the Meghani Nagar neighbourhood of Ahmedabad. 241 out of the 242 passengers and crew onboard were reported dead, while the total death toll exceeded 270. Post that, multiple Air India flights have been cancelled as inspection of the airline’s entire Boeing fleet was underway.
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