New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed on Thursday that data from the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) of flight AI-171 is currently under analysis at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi. This marks a significant shift from the usual practice of sending black boxes abroad for examination, with the government opting to handle the sensitive data locally following suggestions from top leadership.

The CVR was recovered on June 13, while the FDR was found three days later amid the crash debris. The crash protection module from the front black box was safely retrieved, and the memory module was accessed on Wednesday. Data was downloaded at the AAIB lab, which is certified to international standards.

The decision to retain and analyze the black boxes in India is expected to accelerate the investigation. “This is the first time crash data from an aircraft accident on Indian soil is being examined domestically,” a senior official noted. “We are expecting key information on what led to the crash in a record timeframe.”

A team of more than 20 experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who arrived in Ahmedabad on June 13, are now collaborating with Indian investigators in Delhi to reconstruct the chain of events that led to the fatal crash. These efforts aim to enhance aviation safety and prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Questions had been raised over the delay in announcing the composition of the investigation team, nearly two weeks after the incident. However, the government has defended its approach, stating that “all actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time-bound manner.”