The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Thursday announced that data from both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of Air India flight AI171, which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 claiming 275 lives, has been successfully retrieved and is currently undergoing analysis. 
The memory components of the black box were accessed and downloaded at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau&rsquo;s (AAIB) new laboratory in Delhi, following their transfer from Ahmedabad on June 24.
Despite the black box sustaining substantial external damage due to intense post-crash fire&mdash;where temperatures reached nearly 1,000 degrees Celsius&mdash;the Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front unit was recovered. On June 25, the memory unit was successfully read and the data extracted. The AAIB, working under the Civil Aviation Ministry, is leading the investigation and aims to reconstruct the event timeline and identify the causes behind the crash.
The AAIB initiated the probe promptly after the incident and formed a multi-disciplinary investigation team in accordance with international standards. This team, under the leadership of AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar, includes an air traffic control officer, an aviation medicine expert, and representatives from the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB is supporting the Indian investigation as the Boeing 787-8 involved in the crash was designed and produced in the United States.
In a statement, the Ministry confirmed that the CVR and FDR data was being examined at the AAIB&rsquo;s advanced lab in Delhi. &ldquo;On the evening of 24 June 2025, the team led by the DG AAIB, with technical experts from both the AAIB and NTSB, began the data extraction. The front unit's CPM was secured, and by 25 June, the memory module was accessed, allowing successful data retrieval,&rdquo; the Ministry said.
Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Civil Aviation Minister, stated on Wednesday that the black box remained within India and was under examination by Indian authorities. This clarification followed speculation that the recorders might be sent to the US, owing to the extensive damage sustained.&nbsp;
Sources had indicated discussions were held on whether the equipment should be sent to the NTSB&rsquo;s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in the United States or processed at the AAIB&rsquo;s upgraded domestic facility. When contacted, an NTSB spokesperson responded, &ldquo;The investigation is being led by India&rsquo;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&rsquo;d suggest reaching out to them.&rdquo;
The Boeing 787 is equipped with two Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs), each combining CVR and FDR functions, placed at the front and rear of the aircraft to ensure redundancy in the event one unit is damaged or lost.&nbsp;
The front EAFR was recovered on June 13 from a rooftop at the crash site, while the rear unit was located in the wreckage on June 16. Both devices were secured in Ahmedabad under 24-hour police guard and continuous CCTV monitoring until they were airlifted to Delhi by Indian Air Force aircraft on June 24.&nbsp;
The front unit was delivered to the AAIB lab at 14:00 hrs by the Director General, and the rear unit was brought by another AAIB team, arriving at 17:15 hrs the same day.
The Ministry highlighted that all activities have been conducted in accordance with national laws and international commitments. The new AAIB lab, developed with the assistance of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and inaugurated in April, has significantly improved India&rsquo;s capacity to handle complex accident investigations.&nbsp;
Previously, AAIB relied on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation&rsquo;s (DGCA) older facility, which lacked several technical capabilities, often requiring damaged black boxes to be sent overseas.
Flight data recorders collect information on dozens of parameters including altitude, speed, heading, engine performance, and aircraft configuration, while cockpit voice recorders capture audio from within the cockpit including crew communication, system alerts, and ambient sounds.
The combined data allows investigators to recreate a visual model of the flight&rsquo;s final moments. &ldquo;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,&rdquo; the NTSB states on its official website.
Modern recorders can log over 1,000 aircraft parameters beyond the minimum 88 mandated by regulation, including gear movements, flap positions, autopilot status, and even alerts such as smoke detectors. The insights gathered from these recorders are critical in determining the sequence of technical and human factors that led to the tragedy.
The AAIB has been allotted three months to complete its investigation. Authorities emphasise that the black box analysis will be instrumental in establishing what transpired during the final moments of AI171&rsquo;s ill-fated flight and in implementing safety improvements to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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Data from AI171's cockpit and flight recorders analysed to trace events leading to the fatal crash.

CVR, FDR Data Retrieved in AI171 Crash Probe

Data from AI171's cockpit and flight recorders analysed to trace events leading to the fatal crash.

June 26, 2025 | 23:46 IST