Ahmedabad: Families of those killed in the AI-171 flight crash here on Sunday demanded that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) make the black box data and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) transcript public or share them with their lawyers. They also questioned the agency’s decision to “withhold” the material while promising only a final investigation report.
The London Gatwick Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025, resulting in India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged into the BJ Medical College hostel complex, killing 241 of the 242 passengers on board and 19 people on the ground. Representatives of the victims’ families met here to discuss the AAIB’s recent affidavit before the Supreme Court, in which the agency said it would not release the black box data or the CVR transcript.
They also demanded greater transparency in the probe, a memorial at the crash site and the significance of simulator tests in the ongoing investigation.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Romin Vahora, who lost his brother, niece and aunt in the tragedy, questioned how portions of the cockpit conversation had surfaced soon after the crash if the authorities believed such material should not be made public.
“If they never intended to release the data, why did they release a cockpit voice recording transcript (as part of preliminary report) just a few days after the crash?” Vahora asked, claiming that the families wanted to know whether the selective disclosure was meant to “shift the blame onto the pilots or mislead the victims’ families”.
