Just days after a devastating Air India crash killed 241 people in Ahmedabad, Boeing experts have arrived in the city to assist with investigations into what went wrong. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner tragically went down moments after takeoff, slamming into a medical college complex and leaving a nation in mourning. While only one passenger miraculously survived, the rest of the 242 onboard perished along with nearly 30 people on the ground.
Crash Details and Maintenance Records
The aircraft, bearing registration VT-ANB, had taken off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon when it crashed into the BJ Medical College complex. The lone survivor, seated in 11A, is currently being treated. The aircraft had reportedly undergone “C checks,” or comprehensive maintenance, in June 2023 and was due for another round of checks in December this year.
Officials stated that the 787-8 Dreamliner was part of Air India’s older fleet, which includes 26 such aircraft and seven Boeing 787-9s. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered enhanced safety checks across all Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft operated by the airline.
Critical Evidence Recovered
In a significant breakthrough, crash investigators confirmed the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) on Sunday, a key device that records all conversations and ambient sounds in the cockpit. This comes after the earlier retrieval of the black box or flight data recorder (FDR), which was found on the rooftop of the doctors’ hostel hit by the plane.
The confirmation of the CVR’s recovery was made to PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the crash site. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched a detailed probe into the tragedy, while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a parallel investigation, in line with international aviation protocols, since the aircraft was American-made.
The joint efforts between Indian and American aviation authorities aim to piece together the final moments of the ill-fated flight and determine the exact cause behind one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent Indian history.
