June 13, 2025: In a major development in the investigation of the tragic Air India Flight AI-171 crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recovered the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) — commonly known as the black box — from the rooftop of a building near the crash site in Ahmedabad.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a clarification, stating that earlier circulating reports about a video recorder were incorrect. The recovered DFDR is expected to play a crucial role in uncovering the technical causes behind the crash, which took the lives of 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
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The AAIB, supported by over 40 Gujarat state government officials, has launched a full-scale investigation. The black box will be analysed to shed light on the aircraft’s final moments. The aircraft — a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 — crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad International Airport on its way to London’s Gatwick, sending up thick black smoke and claiming nearly all lives on board. Only one passenger, 38-year-old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, survived the crash. He was seated near an emergency exit in row 11.
Piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar, the aircraft made a Mayday call but lost contact with Air Traffic Control moments before crashing. Among the 242 on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.