Black box decoding location yet to be finalised: Government

The government on Thursday clarified that the final decision on where the black box from the ill-fated Air India Flight AI171 will be decoded is yet to be made, and will depend on a comprehensive evaluation of technical, safety, and security parameters.

Also Read: Ahmedabad air crash: 163 victims identified through DNA matching

This clarification follows media reports indicating that the severely damaged flight recorder might be sent to the United States for data extraction. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has stated that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will determine the most suitable location for analysis based on expert assessment.

The black box was recovered 28 hours after the crash from the wreckage of the Air India plane that went down in Ahmedabad on June 12. The London-bound flight had crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, slamming into a government-run medical hostel. Of the 242 people on board, only one person survived, making it one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in recent years.

The AAIB, which is leading the investigation, confirmed that critical recovery and site documentation tasks have been completed. The probe is now focused on technical analysis, with full cooperation from local agencies to determine the cause of the crash.

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