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Mint
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Air India Plane Crash: High-level panel to investigate Ahmedabad tragedy meets today
The high-level committee to investigate last week's Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad is likely to hold its first meeting today, June 16. The panel, headed by the Union home secretary, is expected to submit within three months its report detailing the causes of the accident that killed 270 people, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said during a press briefing on Saturday. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday night. All passengers – except one – on board the Air India flight bound for London Gatwick Airport that crashed shortly after take-off from Gujarat's Ahmedabad airport on 12 June afternoon died. There were 242 passengers and crew on board the plane, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. One passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, miraculously survived the crash. The Committee will not be a substitute for other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations, but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future. 'The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies,' the Ministry said in the order. The panel consist of Home Secretary and secretary or joint secretary of the home affairs ministry, secretary of Civil aviation, representative from the Gujarat home department, representative from the state disaster response authority, police commissioner of Ahmedabad, the Director General (DG), Inspection and Safety of the Indian Air Force, DG of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, DG of the aviation regulator- the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, special director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), Director of Directorate of Forensic Science Services. Meanwhile, Dr PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, reviewed the emergency response following the crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad during a meeting with senior Gujarat government officials on Sunday. Mishra said the authorities have recovered the second black box of the plane from the crash site. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) has been recovered from the site, which will help in the investigation. Mishra discussed the crisis with Gujarat DGP Vikas Sahay, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, and other senior officials. He commended the swift and coordinated efforts of both state and central agencies in managing it. "The state agencies, the Government of India agencies and others have responded very timely and effectively. I met some of the relatives of those who, unfortunately, died and were injured. So they are all satisfied with the work done by the state government and other public agencies, the Government of India," Mishra told news agency ANI. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed into the hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 passengers and crew, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Others who died in the accident were on ground. Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad has made significant progress in identifying victims of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash. Additional Medical Superintendent Dr Rajnish Patel confirmed that 47 DNA samples have been matched, with 44 families contacted and 24 bodies handed over to relatives. The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies. "47 DNA have matched so far. Out of those 47, families of 44 have been contacted. So far, mortal remains of 24 deceased have been handed over to their families..." The hospital's streamlined process, involving DNA verification at Kaushoti Bhavan in D Block, postmortem procedures, and family support, has ensured accuracy and dignity in handling the crisis," Dr Patel told news agency ANI.
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Indian Express
Air India Ahmedabad Plane Crash News LIVE Updates: High-level probe panel to hold first meeting tomorrow; 19 victims identified so far via DNA testing
Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad Live Updates: The high-level panel to probe the deadly Air India flight crash is likely to hold its first meeting on Monday. The committee, headed by the Union home secretary, is expected to submit within three months its report detailing the causes of the accident that killed 241 passengers and many more on the ground, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu during a press briefing on Saturday. The ministry said in a statement that the panel 'will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future'. Status of victims' bodies and DNA testing: As of 9 pm Saturday, the identities of 19 victims have been identified through DNA testing at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghvi said. 'Update as of 9:00 PM- 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he wrote in a post on X. Of those identified, one body, that of Poornima Patel from Dakor, was handed over to her relatives on Saturday afternoon. the bodies of eight victims, who were identified by their relatives and did not need DNA profiling, have already been handed over to their families. Compensation to kin of victims: Two days after the tragic accident involving Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Tata Group, which owns the airline, said Rs 1 crore compensation to people who died on the ground as well. This came after their initial compensation announcement of Rs 1 crore to the families of the crash victims. Air India has also decided to make an additional interim payment of Rs 25 lakh to the families of those who died, and to the lone survivor of the crash, the airline's CEO Campbell Wilson said in a statement on Saturday. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Scroll.in
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Air India crash top updates: Centre says Boeing 787 fleet being examined, 11 DNA samples match
Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday stated that the data from the black box of the Air India plane that crashed and killed more than 270 persons on Thursday was being analysed. In the first press conference after the crash, Naidu stated that the Union government will look into all possible theories of what could have caused the disaster. He added that an extended surveillance of all Boeing 787 flights operational in India would be conducted. On Thursday, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, which was en route to London's Gatwick airport from Ahmedabad, crashed just 33 seconds after taking off. This is being viewed as the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. There were 242 people aboard the aircraft. One passenger survived with ' impact injuries '. A total of 274 bodies had been sent for postmortem, according to The Times of India. This included 33 persons who were killed on the ground when the aircraft crashed into the hostel building of the BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad. Here is more on this and other top updates: In the aftermath of the crash, eight of the Boeing 787 aircraft have so far been inspected following the directive issued Friday by the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said Naidu during the press conference. Later in the day, Air India announced that it had completed one-time safety checks on nine out of 33 of its Boeing 787 aircraft. It added that the checks were still underway for the remaining 24 aircraft and warned that this could 'lead to higher turnaround time and potential delays on certain long-haul routes, especially those to airports with operating curfews'. The Tata Group has announced that the families of the 33 persons who died on the ground will also receive a monetary compensation of Rs 1 crore. Beside the medical expenses for the injured will be fully covered, The Indian Express reported. An unidentified official told the newspaper that 'nothing has been decided' about providing jobs to the next of kin. The DNA samples of 11 of the persons who died in the crash have matched, Dr Rajnesh Patel, the head of surgery at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, told The Hindu. One body has been handed over to the family. On Friday, a police officer had said that six bodies were handed over to the family after identification. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge visited the site of the crash on Saturday and also met those were injured and are being treated at hospitals. 'My deepest condolences and thoughts are with the families of the victims, crew, pilot and people on the ground who have lost their lives, including medical students,' Kharge said on social media.
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Air India crash: High-level committee to meet Monday, submit report in 3 months; AAIB-led technical probe 'going smoothly', says Aviation Ministry
The government's high-level multi-disciplinary committee for examining the causes behind the crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad on Thursday is set to have its first meeting on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said Saturday. Aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha that the technical investigation into the crash, being led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), is already on and 'going smoothly'. On being asked why a government committee has been constituted when the AAIB-led probe is already on, Naidu said that the AAIB investigation is technical and specific to the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, while the government's high-level committee will take a more holistic approach and look at further strengthening of the aviation safety ecosystem. The committee is headed by the Home Secretary and includes senior officials from the civil aviation ministry, home ministry, Gujarat government, the Indian Air Force, and various other departments and agencies including the Intelligence Bureau, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, and Directorate General of Civil Aviation, among others. It is expected to submit its report within three months. 'The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future. The Committee will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future,' the civil aviation ministry said late Friday. Meanwhile, the AAIB investigation is progressing well, Naidu said. The ill-fated aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR) was found on Friday evening and is expected to provide in-depth insights into what happened in the moments leading to the crash, the deadliest aviation disaster involving an Indian aircraft in decades. FDR is one of the so-called black boxes placed on board and aircraft, and records flight data on scores of parameters. The aircraft's other black box–cockpit voice recorder (CVR)–is yet to be found. The AAIB has taken over the crash site and evidence collection is on. Naidu said that the AAIB probe will comprehensively analyse all angles and factors that could have possibly been behind the crash. The AAIB is being assisted in the probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) given that the aircraft was manufactured by an American company—Boeing—and was made in the US. A UK AAIB team is also going to help with the investigation, and so are Boeing and other major component manufacturers like GE (engine manufacturer). According to aircraft accident investigation protocol, the probe report should be finalised within a year. The world has its eyes set on the probe as scores of Boeing 787 aircraft are operating all over the globe, and this was the first-ever crash involving the 787. Thursday's crash claimed the lives of 241 of 242 people on board the plane that was operating Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. Lives were also lost on the ground as the plane crashed into a medical college hostel close to the Ahmedabad airport. According to flight tracking data, the signal from the aircraft was lost at an altitude of just 625 feet, moments after take-off. It then descended with a vertical speed of 475 feet per minute and crashed. According to aviation safety regulator DGCA, the pilots gave a Mayday call—signaling severe distress—to the Ahmedabad airport air traffic control (ATC) upon take-off, after which it crashed outside the airport perimeter. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
Indian Express
14-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad crash aftermath: Eight of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 planes have been inspected so far, says Aviation Minister Naidu
Eight of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft have so far been inspected following the directive issued Friday by aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for enhanced safety inspection of the aircraft type, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said Saturday. The minister, however, did not elaborate further on the checks. A senior government official told The Indian Express that the inspections so far have not revealed any issue or adverse observation. The DGCA's directive had come a day after an Air India 787-8 aircraft crashed moments after take-off from the Ahemdabad airport. The aircraft was operating a flight between Ahemdabad and London Gatwick and had 242 people on board. All but one of those on board perished in the crash. There were several casualties on the ground as well. 'As a preventive measure DGCA, hereby direct M/S Air India to carry out following additional maintenance actions on B787-8/9 aircraft equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices,' the DGCA order said, listing a number of technical checks. Air India had a total of 34 Boeing 787 aircraft before the Ahemdabad crash. Now it has 26 787-8 aircraft and seven 787-9 planes. These enhanced checks include a one-time pre-departure check of aircraft systems and parameters including fuel parameters monitoring and associated system, cabin air compressor and associated systems, electronic engine control system, engine fuel driven actuator and oil system, hydraulic system serviceability, and take-off parameters. Additionally, flight control inspection is to be introduced in transit inspection till further notice. Power assurance checks have also been mandated. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the crash, while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would also be involved in the detailed probe, given that the aircraft is manufactured by an American company—Boeing—and was manufactured in the US. A UK AAIB team is also going to help with the investigation, and so are Boeing and other major component manufacturers like GE (engine manufacturer). According to aircraft accident investigation protocol, the probe report should be finalised within a year. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
