On June 12, tragedy struck when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed just after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, claiming the lives of at least 270 people on board. The civil aviation ministry has confirmed that key flight recorder data has now been recovered, aiding the ongoing investigation into this catastrophic incident.
The flight recorders, known as Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs), were retrieved from the crash site on June 13 and 16, but it may take weeks for the government to release detailed information from these devices. The recorders gather critical data, including cockpit audio and information on engine performance, which will be crucial to reconstructing the flight’s final moments.
A team from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), along with experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), accessed the flight data and cockpit voice recorder data last Wednesday. This investigation aims to uncover the chain of events leading to the crash, ultimately enhancing aviation safety measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy expressed hope for timely public disclosure of the findings to ensure public safety awareness. The investigation comes after questions arose regarding the delay in accessing the recorder data, which some aviation experts found concerning. Air India Flight 171 was in the air for only 40 seconds before it tragically crashed into a populated area of Ahmedabad, marking it as one of India’s most perplexing aviation disasters.
