AAIB to Determine Location for Air India Boeing 787 Black Box Decoding, Says Govt

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday denied reports that the black boxes from the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad were being sent overseas. “It has been reported in certain media outlets that the CVR/DFDR from the ill-fated AI171 flight is being sent abroad for retrieval and analysis. The decision regarding the location for decoding the flight recorders will be taken by the AAIB after due assessment,” the MoCA said.

The investigation of the tragic accident of Air India flight AI171 in the persons of Ahmedabad is currently in progress. An investigation into the crash is being led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) with a formal investigation being conducted.

On 12 June, the day of the accident, a multi-disciplinary AAIB investigation team was initiated and was supported by specialists from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in accordance with the guidance of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

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Air India Plane Crash: Black boxes retrieved

Two (2) sets of black boxes, which consisted of the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), were obtained from the site of the Air India plane crash; the first being collected on 13 June, and the second on 16 June.

Detection showed that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is equipped with two (2) sets of black boxes necessary to assist the investigation team to make sure that they understand what happened leading to the first crash, the MoCA informed in a statement on Thursday, almost exactly one week after the crash which killed 241 passengers and crew members, and some people that existed on the ground.

Air India Plane Crash: Will black box be sent abroad?

Reports were coming from other news outlets, suggesting that one (1) or both (2) of the flight recorders were possibly sent to an aircraft accessory manufacturer overseas for analysis.

The MoCA indicated that the AAIB will decide where to recover the black boxes after an assessment of the technical, safety and security factors.

India's modern black box laboratory at the AAIB's Udaan Bhawan facility in Delhi, which was opened in April 2025 with the help of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, was intended to support such investigations onshore.

When asked, officials indicated that if the recorders are found to be badly damaged or require advanced technology which the laboratory does not currently have, the data might be analysed at special overseas facilities, with the United States likely as the destination given the aircraft's Boeing manufacturing origin.

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Air India Plane Crash: Why are black boxes Important?

The black boxes are critical to the conducted investigation concerning the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, as the DFDR records multiple flight parameters like altitude, speed, and engine performance, and the CVR records cockpit audio that includes conversations, alarms and other sounds.

The expectation is that the data from the black boxes, will reveal details of the causes that led to the Air India plane crash, which occurred seconds after it took-off.

The AAIB investigation remains ongoing, and is being conducted in cooperation with various parties including the DGCA and Air India, who may also conduct parallel inquiries. The preliminary report is expected within 30 days, and a final report with findings will be released within one year according to ICAO requirements.

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