The investigation into the Air India crash last Thursday is reportedly focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear.
The tragic incident that left at least 270 people dead involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash-landing just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in India.
Indian authorities have yet to identify the cause of the disaster, however current speculation includes the possibility of a double engine failure – an extremely rare phenomenon – and problems with the flaps or the landing gear.
Investigators have recovered the plane’s digital flight data recorder, or black box, from a rooftop near the crash site. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings. India’s Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he hoped decoding the first black box would “give an in-depth insight” into the circumstances of the crash.
Indian officials have now announced that the second black box, the cockpit voice recorder, has also been recovered. It is hoped that the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations and give further insight into why the plane went down.
Health officials have begun handing over the first passenger bodies identified through DNA testing, delivering them to grieving relatives in the western city of Ahmedabad. But most families are still waiting.
“We have established contact with the next of kin/relatives of all passengers and crew members, expressing our condolences and helping them with the next steps. Over 400 family members have reached Ahmedabad and are being assisted by our teams on the ground,” the latest Air India statement released on Sunday said.
“Every affected family in Ahmedabad has been assigned at least one caregiver by Air India. Air India is working closely with other Tata group companies to provide every possible assistance to the families and loved ones of those deceased, which remains our number one priority.
“The solemn process of handing over the mortal remains and their personal effects to the next of kin is ongoing. Air India is working closely with the authorities and will be assisting in the movement out of Gujarat, and repatriation initiatives, where appropriate.”
Next steps
Air crash investigations follow a protocol laid out by an International Civil Aviation Organization document called Annex 14.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will lead this investigation, putting together a team that will be assisted by representatives from the US National Transport Safety Bureau and the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch, representing the countries of the plane’s manufacturer and passengers aboard. The team will conduct a forensic investigation of the crash site to make sense of what happened. Alongside material evidence found at the site, they will look at the data stored in the plane’s black box and cockpit voice recorder to learn about what happened in the lead-up to the crash.
Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian Government has set up a high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash. The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement on Saturday.
Authorities have also begun inspecting Air India’s entire fleet of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. Eight of the 34 Dreamliners in India have already undergone inspection, Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with “immediate urgency”.
On Saturday, Air India announced an interim payment of ₹25 lakh (around $43,817) each to the next of kin of the passengers who lost their lives in the Ahmedabad plane crash, as well as to the sole survivor – a British national of Indian origin who is being treated in a hospital.
“As part of our continued efforts, Air India will be providing an interim payment of ₹25 lakh, or approximately £21,000, each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs. This is in addition to the ₹1 crore, or approximately £85,000, support already announced by Tata Sons,” Air India said in a statement.
