Damaged ‘Black Box’ of Crashed Air India Dreamliner May Be Sent to U.S. for Data Retrieval

GG News Bureau
New Delhi/Ahmedabad, 19th June: The ‘black box’ of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 has sustained damage and may be sent to the United States for advanced data extraction, sources said on Thursday. The final decision on the transfer will be made by the Indian government.

The ‘black box’ comprises two crucial components — the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) — both of which are essential to understanding the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash of Flight AI171. The aircraft was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport when it plunged into a medical college hostel complex in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, sparking a massive fire. Of the 242 people on board, only one survived.

The damaged recorders may be sent to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) laboratory in Washington, D.C., which has advanced capabilities for retrieving data from compromised devices. If approved, a team of Indian officials will accompany the black box to ensure all procedural protocols are strictly followed, sources confirmed.

The recorders were recovered 28 hours after the crash on Monday. Though commonly referred to as the “black box,” both the CVR and FDR are actually painted bright orange to aid visibility during recovery from debris.

The findings from the black box will be key to determining the cause of the crash, which has left aviation regulators and the public seeking answers. Initial reports suggest that the aircraft encountered technical difficulties moments after takeoff, but a comprehensive investigation is still underway.