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INVESTIGATORS in India on June 15 recovered the second black box from the London-bound Air India Boeing 787 that crashed in the city of Ahmedabad, killing at least 279 people, authorities announced.
the cockpit voice recorder has been found, PK Mishra, a senior aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said in a statement. The flight data recorder was recovered on June 13, one day after the crash, AFP reported today.
Only one passenger survived among the 242 travellers and crew on board the Air India jet when it crashed June 12 into a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing at least 38 people on the ground.
“The AAIB has launched a detailed investigation, and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a parallel probe under international protocols since the aircraft is American-made,” AFP quoted Mishra saying in a statement.
“Officials confirmed that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been located and secured.”
Multiple experts have said it is too soon to say why the jet crashed shortly after takeoff.
Officials from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) surveyed the site of Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people, sources said on Sunday, with families continuing to wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies.
Along with the NTSB, officials from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were in Ahmedabad in western India's Gujarat state surveying the crash site, said one source with direct knowledge.
the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
Around 30 people died on the ground.
Reuters cited Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down.
The secretary of the U.S. Department of Transport, Sean Duffy, said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the FAA and the NTSB to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams.
"We’ll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB’s investigation," Duffy said.
The FAA and NSTB did not immediately respond to Reuters queries outside regular business hours.
The FAA has said India will lead the investigation, but the NTSB is the official U.S. representative for providing assistance, while the FAA provides technical support.
Boeing officials will also look at various parameters in their inspections, including the angle of landing, as they investigate the matter, said the first source.
In all, around 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including from the NTSB, said the second source.
India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected.
The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India which has for years being trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises.
Families await remains
In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling.
DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday.
"The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. - June 16, 2025
