Black box of Air India plane crash still in India, being probed: Aviation Minister

The black box of the crashed Air India Flight 171 is still in India and is being probed. Aviation minister said that AAIB is examining it to find out the cause of crash

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed on Tuesday that the black box of the crashed Air India Flight 171 is still in India. He said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently examining the flight data recorder to determine the cause of the incident.

The minister assured that a detailed investigation is underway and all findings will be made public once the analysis is complete.

The recovery of black box

The black box was found after about 27 hours of the crash. According to AAIB officials, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) was found on the rooftop of a building near the crash site. Investigators have begun working "with full force" to decode the flight data.

More than 40 personnel from the State Government had joined efforts on the ground to support the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) teams.

Runway overshoot hints at thrust issue 

Top officials involved in the initial investigation have revealed that the Boeing 787-8 aircraft used nearly the entire 3.5 km runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport during take-off. Aircraft of this size typically use 2.5 to 3 km of runway.

“The unusually long runway roll suggests the aircraft may not have achieved the required thrust for take-off,” a senior official said.

The suspected thrust failure is now a major focus of the probe.

No red flags before take-off 

Officials said there were no last-minute changes in flight or ground clearance.

“Runway allocation, flap settings, and thrust requests were all standard. There were no distress signals or warnings,” said an airport source.

Weather conditions were stable, visibility was clear, and the temperature, though high, remained within normal operating limits.

CCTV footage has confirmed the prolonged take-off run. However, no unusual engine sounds, pitch changes, or visual anomalies were seen before the plane went off radar. Ground staff and air traffic control also reported that communication and standard operating protocols were followed.

241 dead, one miraculous survivor 

Flight AI 171, a wide-bodied Boeing 787-8, crashed into a residential doctors' hostel shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 people, including 12 crew members.

The flight was bound for London Gatwick and carried:

• 169 Indian nationals
• 53 British nationals
• 7 Portuguese nationals
• 1 Canadian national

Miraculously, one passenger survived the crash, a British national of Indian origin, according to airline officials.

Black box decoding to reveal cause 

Authorities are now focused on decoding data from the black box, which includes both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).

Investigators believe this will be key to reconstructing the final minutes of the flight and confirming whether engine thrust failure was responsible for the tragedy.

More updates are expected once preliminary analysis is completed.