🗓️ Published: June 26, 2025 | ✍️ Sky Link Times Desk
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has officially recovered and begun the data extraction process from the black boxes of Air India AI 171, which crashed earlier this month, report said. The investigation is being carried out in full compliance with international protocols under ICAO Annex 13 and India’s Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
The tragic incident, which involved Air India’s scheduled international flight AI-171, prompted swift action from Indian authorities and global aviation safety bodies.
🕵️♂️ Multidisciplinary Investigation Team Formed
The AAIB constituted a multidisciplinary team on 13 June 2025, in accordance with international aviation norms. The team is led by the Director General of AAIB and includes:
- An aviation medicine specialist
- An Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer
- Representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — the designated authority from the aircraft’s country of manufacture and design
This joint team is working to uncover the root cause of the accident and recommend steps for aviation safety enhancement.
📦 Recovery of Black Boxes
- The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was recovered from the rooftop of a building near the crash site on 13 June 2025.
- The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) was later found amidst the debris on 16 June 2025.
Both devices were secured under 24×7 police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad. They were airlifted by the Indian Air Force to Delhi on 24 June 2025, where they arrived at the AAIB Lab with full security protocols.
💾 Data Extraction Status
On the evening of 24 June 2025, the AAIB team, alongside NTSB technical experts, began extracting data from the crash-resistant memory units of the black boxes. By 25 June 2025, the memory module from the front black box was successfully accessed and data downloaded.
The analysis of the CVR and FDR is now in progress and is expected to help reconstruct the flight’s final moments. This will play a crucial role in identifying technical or operational failures that contributed to the crash.
🔐 Transparency and Compliance
The AAIB emphasized that all procedures are being followed in a time-bound and transparent manner, as per both Indian aviation law and ICAO’s global standards. The agency reiterated its commitment to aviation safety and pledged to implement corrective actions once the investigation is complete.
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