Panel probing Air India crash submits preliminary report

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted the preliminary report on the AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the authorities concerned, sources said on Tuesday.

The report is based on the initial findings of the probe. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 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 downloaded at the AAIB lab. Sources familiar with the process said an identical black box, referred to as a “golden chassis”, was used to confirm whether data could be accurately recovered from the black boxes. One black box was recovered from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16.

The investigation is being led by AAIB officials and includes technical members from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from the United States, which is the official investigative agency of the country of the aircraft's design and manufacture.

The Director General of AAIB is heading the probe. An aviation medicine expert and an Air Traffic Control officer have also been included in the investigation team. Sources confirmed that the NTSB team is currently stationed in Delhi and working closely with Indian authorities at the AAIB Lab. Officials from Boeing and GE are also present in the national capital to assist with the technical process.