Ahmedabad — In a significant development in the Air India crash investigation, authorities have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the wreckage of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that went down last Thursday shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The discovery is expected to provide critical insight into the final moments before the aircraft plunged into the BJ Medical College campus, claiming at least 270 lives.
The recovery of the CVR—one of the two components of the black box—is seen as a vital breakthrough. It captures cockpit communications, warning alarms, and background sounds, offering investigators a rare auditory glimpse into the flight crew’s final seconds. The flight data recorder (FDR), which stores key technical metrics such as altitude, engine thrust, and speed, was retrieved a day earlier.
Although referred to collectively as the “black box,” both the CVR and FDR are actually bright orange and equipped with reflective strips to aid quick identification amid wreckage. These instruments are built to endure extreme impact and fire, making them indispensable in air disaster probes.
The Air India crash investigation is being led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with technical support from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), given that the aircraft was American-manufactured. Officials from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also visited the crash site.
“The AAIB is spearheading the inquiry, while the NTSB is carrying out a parallel probe under international aviation protocols,” said a joint statement released on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a high-level Indian government committee will convene its first meeting on Monday to evaluate preliminary findings. The panel, formed in the wake of public outcry over the disaster, is expected to release its initial report within three months and recommend new safety protocols.
Amid the technical analysis, families of victims remain in deep anguish as the painstaking process of identifying bodies continues. According to Dr. Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, 270 bodies have been recovered so far, with 90 identified through DNA testing. Forty-seven of these have been returned to their families.
Among those identified is former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, a political stalwart whose funeral, scheduled for today in Rajkot, will be held with full state honours.
But for many, the wait drags on. Mistry Jignesh, still awaiting news about his missing niece, expressed frustration at the slow identification process. “They told me we would have her remains by Sunday. But if bodies are still being found, how can they finish the DNA process? The uncertainty is unbearable,” he told the BBC.
The Air India crash investigation is expected to intensify over the coming weeks as analysis of the black box recordings begins. For a nation still grappling with shock, the answers cannot come soon enough.
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