Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in his first official briefing since the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, confirmed that the aircraft’s black box has been recovered and is currently undergoing decoding. The critical flight recorder is expected to offer vital insights into the events that led to the crash, which claimed 241 lives. Only one person—a British national of Indian origin—survived the disaster.
The ill-fated Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, went down less than a minute after take-off on June 12, 2025. The plane, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, lost altitude rapidly and crashed into a residential area near the airport, sparking a massive fire and widespread destruction. Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage captured the aircraft flying unusually low before erupting into flames, as emergency teams rushed in for rescue and recovery operations.
Minister Naidu stressed that the government is treating the incident with the utmost seriousness. He said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was immediately deployed, and the probe now includes experts from Boeing, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and other high-level panels. The black box, retrieved within 28 hours, is expected to contain cockpit voice recordings and flight data that could be key in determining what went wrong.
Preliminary findings suggest that a “mayday” call was issued soon after take-off and the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude before the crash. However, officials have not yet confirmed any suspected cause. The government has promised complete transparency in the investigation and is extending support to the victims’ families during this time of national mourning.