New Delhi, June 19, 2025 – India has decided to send the black box recovered from last week’s Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash to the United States for detailed analysis, according to the Economic Times, citing sources privy to the decision .The aircraft’s flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR)—commonly referred to as the “black boxes”—were heavily damaged by post-crash fire, making local data extraction unfeasible, those familiar with the probe told the Economic Times .As a result, India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will send them to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) facility in Washington. There, the data will be recovered under the supervision of Indian officials and later shared with AAIB . The United Kingdom’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch is also expected to participate, as 53 British citizens were aboard the flight .U.S. officials, including personnel from the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, have already visited the crash site in Ahmedabad and are contributing technical assistance at India’s request .⸻Crash Background & Investigation Status • Incident summary: On June 12, Air India flight AI‑171, a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people onboard and inflicting significant casualties on the ground—marking one of the deadliest air disasters in a decade . • Recovery of recorders: The FDR was discovered within 28 hours of the crash, followed by the CVR two days later . • Site inspection: U.S. NTSB and FAA teams conducted technical surveys of the crash site earlier this week .⸻Why the U.S.?According to international aviation protocol, when the state of manufacture requests assistance—or when domestic laboratories lack capacity—recovery of severely damaged recorders may be outsourced to specialized foreign facilities. India’s AAIB, while operational, lacks the advanced equipment to extract data from units compromised by intense heat . The NTSB laboratory in Washington is equipped for such intricate recovery procedures, offering a better chance of retrieving intact flight data and cockpit voice recordings.A coordinated team of Indian officials will accompany the recorders to the U.S. to ensure all protocols are observed and data integrity maintained . Once processed, findings will be shared with AAIB, forming a critical basis for the ongoing crash investigation.⸻What Happens Next? • Data extraction and analysis could take from a few days to several months, depending on the damage to the devices . • The investigation will combine black box insights with CCTV footage, eyewitness testimony, weather reports, and air traffic control records to determine key factors—ranging from engine thrust and flap deployment to landing gear configuration . • The AAIB, with U.K. and U.S. assistance, aims to produce a preliminary report within three months, per standard protocol . • In the interim, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a fleet-wide safety inspection: 24 of Air India’s 33 Boeing 787s have been cleared, and no major safety issues have been found to date .⸻The black box analysis marks a pivotal step in uncovering the cause of the tragedy. As India collaborates closely with U.S. and U.K. counterparts, investigators aim to piece together the sequence of events that led to the catastrophic outcome—and implement measures to prevent future air disasters.⸻
