AAIB submits preliminary report of Air India plane crash: Report

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has reportedly submitted the preliminary report on Air India plane crash to the concerned authorities and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The AI 171 plane crash in Ahmedabad claimed the lives of 241 people on June 12. 

According to sources, who told news agency ANI, the preliminary report was filed based on the initial findings of the probe. 

In a detailed status report last month, the ministry said both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were recovered, transported to Delhi, and data extraction began at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) laboratory. In its official statement, the Ministry said: "The analysis of CVR and FDR data is underway. These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences."

India, as a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944), conducted the investigation in line with ICAO Annex 13 and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. The AAIB is the designated authority for such probes and constituted a multidisciplinary team on June 13, 2025 — a day after the crash. 

The team, led by the Director General of AAIB, included representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an aviation medicine specialist, and an Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the CVR and FDR were recovered from the crash site in Ahmedabad — one from a building rooftop on June 13 and the other from the debris on June 16. Both devices were handled under strict protocols, including 24x7 police protection and CCTV surveillance.

On June 24, the black boxes were airlifted from Ahmedabad to Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft. The front black box reached the AAIB lab with the DG, AAIB at 2:00 pm, while the rear black box was delivered by a second AAIB team at 5:15 pm.