As a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944), India investigates aircraft accidents in accordance with ICAO Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is the designated authority for such investigations.
After the unfortunate accident involving Air India flight AI-171, AAIB immediately started an investigation and constituted a multidisciplinary team on 13 June 2025 as per prescribed norms. This team, constituted as per international protocols, is headed by AAIB. The committee is headed by the director general and includes an aviation maintenance specialist, an ATC officer and a representative of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB ) , the government investigative agency of the State of Manufacturing and Design (USA ) And such an investigation is necessary.
Acquisition and management of the black box
Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were recovered. The first of these was recovered from the roof of the building at the accident site on June 13 , 2025, and the second from the debris on June 16 , 2025. Standard operating procedures were issued for their safe handling , storage, and transportation. The instruments were kept under round-the-clock police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad.
Subsequently , the black box was brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft under full security on 24 June 2025. The front black box was brought to AAIB Lab , Delhi on 24 June 2025 at 1400 hrs along with Director General AAIB . The back black box was brought by the second AAIB team and brought to AAIB Lab , Delhi, on 24 June 2025 at 1715 hrs.
Data extraction and current status
AAIB AAIB headed by the DG, and the team, along with technical members of the NTSB, conducted a search on the evening of June 24, 2025 Data extraction process initiated. The Crash Protection Module (CPM ) was safely extracted from the front black box and the memory module was successfully accessed on June 25 , 2025, and its data was sent to AAIB Downloaded in the lab.
Analysis of the CVR and FDR data is ongoing. These efforts are aimed at reconstructing the sequence of events leading to the accident and identifying contributing factors in order to enhance aviation safety and prevent such incidents in the future.
All actions have been taken in a timely manner and in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations.
