Air India Crash Update: Data From Front Black Box Safely Retrieved And Downloaded At AAIB Lab

New Delhi: The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box of the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 was safely retrieved on Wednesday, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation. As per the ministry, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data was downloaded at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) laboratory.

"On the evening of 24 June 2025, the team led by DG AAIB with technical members from AAIB and NTSB began the data extraction process. The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on 25 June, 2025, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab," the ministry said in a statement.

"The analysis of CVR and FDR data is underway. These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences. All actions have been taken in full compliance with domestic laws and international obligations in a time bound manner," it added.

On Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the black box of the Air India plane was being examined by the AAIB.

The London-bound Air India flight, AI 171, crashed on June 12 just seconds after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad. At the time of the incident, there were 242 people onboard the plane, including 12 crew members. Only one passenger survived the crash.

The plane crashed into the hostel of BJ Medical College campus and burst into a ball of fire as it was carrying a lot of fuel for the long-haul flight. The death toll in the crash rose to over 275, including the people on the ground.

The black box of the plane was recovered on June 13.

A black box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents. The black-boc data will reveal what happened moments before the plane crash.