Air India plane crash: Black box recovered from AI 171 disaster site, says report

Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: A black box has been recovered from the AI 171 crash site, said two police sources to news agency Reuters. The Air India 787-8 Dreamliner that had taken off from Ahmedabad airport to Gatwick airport, crashed within minutes of its takeoff, leading to the deaths of 241 passengers. One passenger, seated on 11A survived the crash, and was admitted to the hospital. 

Speculations were rife on the reason behind the pilots’ MAYDAY call that eventually led to the fateful crash. The recovery of the black box would shed more light on what happened in the minutes between the takeoff and the crash. 

A black box is a crash-resistant device that is designed to survive extreme situations such as explosions, fire, water, high pressure and crashes. Every airplane carries two such black boxes. The black box comprises a Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The FDR logs all the technical parameters such as altitude, speed, engine thrust, flight path data, while the CVR records all the cockpit audio, including pilot conversations and ambient sounds that could give a clear insight of what takes place inside the cockpit. 

Meanwhile, rescuers searched for missing people and aircraft debris in charred buildings in Ahmedabad on Friday after more than 240 people were killed in the crash. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, took off over a residential area and disappeared from view before a large fireball was seen rising into the sky. CCTV footage captured the incident.

Only one passenger survived after the plane crashed onto a medical college hostel during lunch hour. Local media reported that as many as 24 people on the ground were also killed. Rescue workers completed combing the crash site and continued searching for missing people and bodies in the buildings, as well as aircraft parts that could help explain why the plane crashed soon after takeoff.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat on Friday. Modi also met some of the injured being treated in hospital. "The scene of devastation is saddening," he said in a post on X.

Residents near the crash site said the hostel for resident doctors was completed only a year ago and the buildings were not fully occupied. Parts of the plane's fuselage were scattered around the smouldering building where it crashed. The tail of the plane was wedged on top of the building.

This was the first crash for the Dreamliner since it began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.