Air India crash: Delhi lab extracts black boxes' data, begins analysis

Investigators probing the Air India AI171 crash have successfully extracted data from the aircraft’s black boxes — the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) — at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Thursday.

It added that analysis of the extracted data is currently underway at this lab.

In a statement, the MoCA said the memory module of the front black box was accessed and downloaded on June 25 (Wednesday). “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,” it said.

The CVR and FDR — essential to understanding what happened in the final moments of the flight — were recovered from the crash site on June 13 and June 16, respectively. The front unit was found on a building rooftop, while the rear was located in the debris. Both were moved under heavy security to Delhi on June 24 by Indian Air Force aircraft.

The AAIB, which is leading the probe, began the data extraction process at its lab the same evening, in the presence of technical experts from both India and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the investigative agency of the aircraft’s country of manufacture. The Crash Protection Module was first retrieved from the device before accessing its internal memory.

The investigation is being carried out in line with India’s Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, and in accordance with Annex 13 of the ICAO Chicago Convention, the MoCA noted.

The AAIB constituted a multidisciplinary team on June 13, a day after the crash, comprising specialists in aviation medicine, air traffic control, and representatives from the NTSB.

The ministry emphasised that the investigation is being conducted in a “time-bound manner” and in full compliance with domestic and international obligations.