New Delhi, June 28: Indian investigators have successfully retrieved and downloaded data from the black boxes of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after take-off on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew, and 34 people on the ground, the government said on Thursday.
The flight, AI 171, crashed just 36 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport, prompting a nationwide investigation into the cause of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent years. Only one passenger — a British-Indian national seated in 11A — survived the crash.
In a statement, the Civil Aviation Ministry said that despite initial damage to the black boxes — the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — forensic teams at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) successfully extracted and downloaded critical memory modules earlier this week. The first black box arrived at the AAIB lab in New Delhi at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the second at 5:15 p.m. Data extraction was completed by Wednesday.
The CVR is expected to provide insight into cockpit conversations, crew response, and alarm activity, while the FDR contains technical data such as airspeed, altitude, and engine performance.
Investigators are focusing on the exact sequence of events between 1:39 p.m., the time of take-off, and the crash 36 seconds later. Audio logs reportedly confirm Captain Sabharwal issued a distress call, saying “Mayday… no power… no thrust,” before impact. The CVR will help determine the accuracy of this report and how much time the flight crew had to respond.
Preliminary theories suggest a dual engine failure or a critical hydraulic or electronic malfunction, possibly indicated by the deployment of the aircraft’s Ram Air Turbine (RAT) as seen in crash footage. The airline said the aircraft underwent regular maintenance, with the right engine replaced four months ago and the left inspected in April.
A parliamentary committee is expected to meet next week to discuss broader civil aviation safety and maintenance protocols. Senior government officials, representatives from Air India, and Boeing executives have been summoned and are expected to face scrutiny over regulatory compliance and airline preparedness.
The AAIB said analysis of the CVR and FDR is ongoing and will help reconstruct the final moments of the flight and identify any contributing factors to enhance aviation safety standards.
