The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of Air India flight AI-171, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad last Thursday, has been located, according to officials leading the investigation. The recovery marks a major development in efforts to determine what caused the devastating crash that claimed 270 lives.
The aircraft, a London-bound Boeing carrying 242 passengers and crew, went down over BJ Medical College minutes after departure. Until Sunday, only the flight data recorder (FDR) had been recovered. The CVR was later found on the rooftop of a building struck by the plane.
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra, visited the crash site and Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where the injured are being treated. He later chaired a review meeting at the Circuit House, joined by officials from central and state governments, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and the Airports Authority of India.
According to a press release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Dr. Mishra was informed that both critical components of the aircraft’s black box—the FDR and CVR—had been secured.
The AAIB is leading a comprehensive inquiry into the tragedy, while the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a concurrent investigation, given that the aircraft was American-manufactured.
Black boxes, despite the name, are bright orange and consist of two key devices. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) logs vital technical metrics like speed, altitude, and engine performance, while the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) captures cockpit conversations, pilot-ATC communications, and ambient cockpit sounds.
With both the FDR and CVR now in hand, investigators hope to soon determine what triggered India’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade.
