Extraction and analysis of data from the black boxes of the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 is being done at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) new state-of-the-art laboratory in Delhi, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The black boxes are critical in aircraft accident investigations as they provide data on scores on parameters and aircraft systems, helping the investigators identify the most likely causes of an accident. MoCA also said that the AAIB “promptly initiated” an investigation and constituted a multi-disciplinary team following the tragic crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad. This team, constituted as per international protocol, is led by AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar, and includes an aviation medicine specialist, an air traffic control officer, and representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB is assisting the AAIB in the probe as the aircraft was designed and manufactured in the US by an American company—Boeing. “On the evening of 24 June 2025, the team led by DG (director general) AAIB with technical members from AAIB and NTSB began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab,” MoCA said Thursday in an official release, providing an update on the recovery and examination of black box data. “The analysis of CVR (cockpit voice recorder) and FDR (flight data recorder) 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. All actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time bound manner,” the ministry added. There were reports and speculation that the black box—FDR and CVR—could be sent to the US as AAIB’s black box lab might not be fully equipped to handle damaged units. Sources had indicated that there were deliberations on whether to send units to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in the US for data extraction and analysis, or perform the exercise at the AAIB’s new black box lab in Delhi. While the government had earlier said that the decision on where to extract and analyse data would be taken by the AAIB, the NTSB had declined to comment on the possibility of the black boxes being taken to the US. “The investigation is being led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. As stipulated by international treaty (ICAO Annex 13) the country leading the investigation is the entity to release any information about the investigation. I'd suggest reaching out to them,” an NTSB spokesperson had said on Wednesday in response to queries from The Indian Express. Boeing 787 aircraft have two combined black box sets, each with the joint functions of CVR and DFDR. According to industry insiders, the combined black box is called an Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR), and regulations require two units to be located in the aircraft—one at the front and one at the aft, or rear section—for redundancy, in case of unit is significantly damaged or is never recovered. The first EAFR were recovered on June 13 from a building rooftop at the crash site in Ahmedabad, while the second was recovered on June 16 from the aircraft debris. “Standard Operating Procedures were issued for their secure handling, storage, and transportation. The devices were kept under 24x7 police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad. Subsequently, the black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF (Indian Air Force) aircraft with full security on 24 June, 2025. The front black box arrived at AAIB Lab, Delhi with the DG, AAIB at 1400 hrs on 24 June, 2025. The rear black box was brought by a second AAIB team and reached AAIB Lab, Delhi at 1715 hrs on 24 June, 2025,” MoCA said in its official release. The new and advanced AAIB lab, built by support of government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and inaugurated in April, has enhanced the agency’s ability to repair damaged black boxes, retrieve data, and conduct thorough analyses of accidents with high accuracy. Earlier, a black box lab under the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was being used by the AAIB, but the facility was old and lacked a few key capabilities needed for thorough and accurate data retrieval and analysis, said a source. That was one of the reasons why a number of black boxes from aircraft involved in serious accidents were sent to overseas labs. The purpose of the FDR is to record flight data on numerous parameters of aircraft operations, while the CVR records the flight crew's voices, as well as other sounds inside the cockpit, including engine noise, stall warnings, landing gear extension and retraction, and other clicks and pops. Communications with air traffic control, automated radio weather briefings, and conversation between the pilots and ground or cabin crew are also recorded. With the data retrieved from the FDR, investigators can generate a computer animated video reconstruction of the flight. The investigators can then visualise the aircraft’s attitude, instrument readings, power settings, and other characteristics of the flight. This animation enables the investigating team to visualise the last moments of the flight before the accident. “They (FDR and CVR) can provide information that may be difficult or impossible to obtain by other means. When used in conjunction with other information gained in the investigation, the recorders are playing an ever-increasing role in determining the Probable Cause of an aircraft accident,” the NTSB says on its website. By regulation, aircraft must monitor at least eighty-eight important parameters such as time, altitude, airspeed, heading, and aircraft attitude. Some FDRs can record the status of more than 1,000 other in-flight characteristics that can aid in the investigation. The items monitored can be anything from flap position to auto-pilot mode or even smoke alarms, the NTSB states.
