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.

In Short

Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder data downloaded at AAIB lab
Crash Protection Module safely retrieved and data accessed on June 25
Accident occurred on June 12, killing 275 people

In a big breakthrough, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday recovered, downloaded, and began analysing the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR)—crucial for piecing together the reasons behind the June 12 crash that killed 275 people—after the black box of Air India 171 was brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi on June 24, the government said on Thursday.

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.

The memory module was successfully accessed, and its data was downloaded at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) laboratory under the Union Civil Aviation Ministry’s crash investigation division.

Additionally, the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on June 25, the memory module was successfully accessed, and its data subsequently downloaded.

On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that the black box of the AI 171 flight is still in India, and it is being probed by AAIB.

This came after reports claimed that India was likely to send the black box to the United States for data recovery as the recorder sustained heavy external damage due to the fire following the deadly crash.

Such was the intensity that the temperature in and around the crash site reached about 1,000 degrees Celsius. This probably explains why the black box, despite being designed to survive extreme conditions, suffered such extensive damage.

The AAIB, which had been given three months to complete the probe, recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) as well as the flight data recorder (FDR) two days after the crash.

The CVR, which captures audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations, and FDR collectively form what is known as the “black box”.

Decoding the black box is significant as it would provide an in-depth insight into what led to the crash and the moments before the tragedy itself.

While the exact reason behind the crash will only be known after decoding the black box, an aviation expert has suggested dual engine failure as a possible cause.

Former US Navy pilot Captain Steve Scheibner, in an interview with India Today, suggested that the deployment of the ram air turbine (RAT) shortly after takeoff pointed to a dual engine failure.