Launching a fair probe into the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane in Ahmedabad yesterday, the authorities on Friday recovered one of the two black boxes of the ill-fated AI171 even as Air India confirmed that 241 people, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, died in the disaster, while one person survived.
At least four MBBS students and the wife of a doctor also died as the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College building in Ahmedabad.
The Digital Flight Data Recorder or popularly called ‘black box’ was recovered from the roof of the hostel building of BJ Medical college while efforts were underway to recover the second one, which is typically mounted on the tail of the plane.
In the event of an air accident, the black box is the most valuable piece of equipment as it offers investigators clues to what went wrong, from technical failures to human error.
It is actually two components packed into one casing with the first being Flight Data Recorder (FDR), which records the technical data of the aircraft like speed, altitude, engine performance, and navigation details. The second component is Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) which stores audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations and other sounds from the flight deck.
Moreover, Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) also recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the debris of the plane which holds crucial CCTV footage or cockpit data from the vicinity, helping decode what happened in those final moments before the crash.
Meanwhile, family members of the passengers arrived in Ahmedabad to identify their deceased relatives. As many as 192 samples were taken for DNA test.
Students, professors, family members, and staff vacated the hostel building, where the crash took place, and were shifted to alternate accommodations.
The rescue team confirmed that the rescue operations have been completed at the site.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, plummeting into a densely populated area near BJ Medical College.
The crash led to the deaths of 241 of the 242 people on board. The sole survivor, a British national of Indian origin, is currently under medical care.
Among the deceased are 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian national, making the tragedy an international one. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has since been coordinating with affected countries, offering full assistance with identification, repatriation, and communication with bereaved families.
Emergency services continue recovery efforts at the site, while DNA testing is underway at BJ Medical College to identify remains too severely damaged for visual recognition.
The Indian government has assured a thorough investigation into what is now considered one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent Indian history.
Authorities from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India are cooperating with international agencies to determine the cause of the crash.
Air India on Friday confirmed that 241 people lost their lives in Thursday’s crash of the ill-fated AI171 aircraft, which was en route to London from Ahmedabad, while one person survived.