Air India crash: Black box recorder recovered

Thursday's crash has renewed debate about air safety in India, one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets.

Air India has suffered a number of both fatal and non-fatal crashes over the years.

Prior to the Ahmedabad incident, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had never been involved in a fatal crash. 

Read more about how the crash investigation will unfold and how the incident will impact India's aviation sector.

A black box flight recorder is a heavily protected recording device, similar to a hard disk or a memory card that records all relevant flight data, in addition to communication in the cockpit

Previously, this data had to be recorded on two different devices but units are now capable of doing both.

Regulations dictate that every airplane must have two of these devices on board.

A black box must be able to withstand many accident scenarios without sustaining damage.

The data on the black box helps investigators determine the cause of an accident or serious incident and reduce the potential sources for error. However, investigators do not fully reconstruct a flight.

The so-called black box has never actually been black. The color is bright orange. Read more here.

 

India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has confirmed that investigators have recovered one of the black box recorders from the crashed Air India flight.

"The Flight Data Recorder (Black Box) has been recovered within 28 hours from the accident site in Ahmedabad by AAIB," said Kinjarapu.

"This marks an important step forward in the investigation. This will significantly aid the enquiry into the incident," the minister added in a post on social media platform X.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said in a statement that the digital flight data recorder was recovered from a rooftop
near the crash site and said the bureau has begun its work with "full force."
 

The sole survivor of the Air India crash, Viswashkumar Ramesh, has described the events leading up to and after Flight AI 171 ploughed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.

The British and Indian dual-national, who was seated in 11A, described his experience to India's national broadcaster from a local government hospital.

Ramesh said the aircraft appeared to be stuck midair within a few seconds of takeoff. He described seeing blue and white lights and the the aircraft accelerating but seemingly unable to gain height before crashing.

"It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded," Ramesh told DD News.

"At first, I thought I was dead," Ramesh said and added: "Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage."

"I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out."

Describing his ordeal, Ramesh said: "I don't know how I survived."

"I saw people dying in front of my eyes — the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me . I walked out of the rubble."

Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, said he was disoriented and had suffered multiple injuries all over his body but appeared to be out of danger.

The AFP news agency reported that Boeing's CEO Kelly Ortberg has cancelled his trip to next week's Paris Air Show, citing an internal message to employees.

According to the report, Kelly has opted to focus on the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of everyone onboard Air India Flight 171 and all those affected in western India," Ortberg said in the message to employees obtained by AFP.

"As our industry prepares to start the Paris Air Show, Stephanie and I have both cancelled plans to attend so we can be with our team, and focus on our customer and the investigation," Ortberg said.

The Paris Air Show is a major aviation industry event.

As Air India grapples with the aftermath of one the country's worst aviation disasters, another of its planes has been forced to make an emergency landing in southern Thailand, following a bomb threat.

The Thai airports authority said the pilot of Air India Airbus A320 radioed air traffic control to say that a bomb-threat had been discovered in one of the aircraft toilet areas and was forced to make an emergency landing in Phuket.

"We received a report of a bomb threat written inside the aircraft's bathroom, so the pilot informed the control tower and decided to divert the flight to Phuket International Airport after circling to burn off fuel," Monchai Tanode, director of Phuket International Airport told a press conference.

"Police have brought in several suspects, but have not yet been able to identify who wrote the message," Monchai added.

An aviation expert told DW that investigators would look into a potential bird strike, mechanical failure or possible pilot error. Watch the full report: 

News agencies are reporting that one of the two black box recorders from the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had been recovered.

Reuters cited police sources as saying that a black box had been found at the scene of the crash in Ahmedabad.

AFP news agency also reported, citing a senior state police official, that the civil aviation team recovered one black box from the crash site.

Its contents may prove to be crucial in helping investigators determine the cause of Thursday's deadly crash.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site in Ahmedabad in his home state of Gujarat on Friday, calling it a "scene of devastation."

He was briefed on rescue operations and met with some of the injured, including the sole survivor, Viswashkumar Ramesh.

Modi expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, saying, "The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words."

Among the victims of the crash was Vijay Rupani, a member of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former chief minister of Gujarat — a position Modi also once held.

Investigators on Friday were combing through the wreckage of one of India's worst aviation disasters.

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing at least 241 people on board and several people on the ground.

The charred remains of the passengers forced authorities to rely on DNA testing for identification, according to the president of the Federation of All India Medical Association, Akshay Dongardiv.

Rescue workers have completed the initial search and are now recovering human remains and critical aircraft components.

Officials said it might be weeks before a final death toll is confirmed.

Volunteer rescuer Bharat Solanki said: "We saw bodies everywhere — they were in pieces, fully burnt."

Authorities are still searching for the black boxes, although local media reports indicate one may have been recovered.

Indian authorities have launched a probe with investigators reportedly examining whether "a loss or reduction in engine thrust" may have contributed to the crash, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The lone survivor, Vishwaskumar Ramesh, described hearing a strange noise just after takeoff, followed by a sudden descent.

This blog will bring you the latest developments regarding the Air India Flight 171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London's Gatwick Airport, on Thursday, killing nearly all of the 242 people on board.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel, killing several people.

Remarkably, one passenger survived and was taken to hospital.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident "heartbreaking beyond words."

In addition to the main headlines, DW will also bring you analysis and latest reports regarding the incident.