India has been hit with the most severe aviation disaster in a decade, as local investigators have found a black box in the wreckage. The plane crash has once again put Boeing in the spotlight, prompting the company’s CEO to cancel important engagements and pledge full cooperation with the crash investigation.
A source stated on Friday, June 13, that the investigation into the Boeing 787 aircraft crash of Air India will focus on the engine, flaps, and landing gear. Authorities have also ordered a safety inspection of the entire Boeing 787 fleet of the airline, in the tragic accident that claimed the lives of over 240 people.
Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, announced on Thursday that he and Stephanie Pope, the head of Boeing’s commercial airplane division, have canceled their upcoming trip to the Paris Air Show “to focus with our team on customers and investigation.”
According to global aviation rules, India will lead the investigation, with support from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States, collaborating with Boeing and GE Aerospace on technical matters.
Ortberg mentioned that he has already discussed with NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy and “committed to fully support the investigation process.”
Meanwhile, GE Aerospace, the manufacturer of engines used in Boeing 787 aircraft, had planned to host an investor day event concurrently with the Paris Air Show on June 17.
GE Aerospace announced the cancellation of the briefing and the assembly of a team to analyze the data from the crashed plane in India.
A GE Aerospace spokesperson affirmed, “Safety is our top priority. We are dedicated to providing all necessary technical support to understand the cause of this accident.”
On Thursday, June 12, Air India Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad, India, heading to London’s Gatwick Airport, but tragically crashed less than a minute after takeoff. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner hit a building on the ground, causing a massive fireball and claiming the lives of 241 people on board, with only one survivor currently undergoing treatment.
Reports from local media stated that the plane crashed into the dormitory of the B.J. Medical College during lunchtime, resulting in as many as 24 casualties on the ground. However, the media has been unable to verify this number at present.
Indian aviation authorities confirmed that rescue teams have retrieved a black box (digital flight data recorder) from the rooftop of the building where the plane crashed.
Another black box recording cockpit voices is yet to be located, which is crucial for the crash investigation.
Investigators from India, the United Kingdom, and the United States have arrived on the scene to begin the investigation. Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Group in India, assured full transparency in the investigation results in an internal memo to employees.
Tata Group took over the formerly state-owned Air India in 2022 and merged with Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, last year.
Chandrasekaran expressed the group’s intent to uncover the cause of the accident, stating, “We are currently not clear on the specifics.”
Earlier on Friday, rescue teams completed the search at the crash site and were conducting searches inside the building for missing persons, bodies, and aircraft debris.
Indian Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site on Friday and also met with some of the injured individuals receiving treatment in the hospital.
Modi posted on social media, “The scene of the disaster is heart-wrenching.”
According to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) website, this is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in commercial flight since it began in 2011.
(This article referenced relevant reports from Reuters)