Ahmedabad plane crash: Air India flight’s DVR recovered by ATS, one black box still missing

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the wreckage of the Air India aircraft that crashed in the city on Thursday, news agency ANI reported.

“It’s a DVR, which we have recovered from the debris. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team will arrive shortly,” an ATS officer said.

Authorities had on Thursday recovered one of the two black boxes of the Air India B787 aircraft (VT-ANB), which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad while operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick.

The recovered black box, located at the rear of the aircraft, was found amid the wreckage, Hindustan Times reported. 

The black box -- the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) -- are critical for investigators. The FDR logs key technical information such as altitude, speed, engine performance and navigation data, while the CVR captures audio from the cockpit, including conversations between pilots and radio transmissions. Together, they are essential to understanding the final moments leading up to the crash and determining the probable cause.

The twin-engine, wide-bodied Boeing 787 aircraft took off from Ahmedabad’s Runway 23 at 1.39 pm IST (0809 UTC) on June 12. Moments later, the pilot issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call, indicating a full emergency, according to Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control. However, the aircraft gave no further response to subsequent ATC calls.

Eyewitnesses said the plane struggled to gain altitude, climbing only about 600–800 feet before it rapidly descended and exploded into a fireball. The crash site was engulfed in thick black smoke, visible from several kilometres away.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed the aircraft lost communication shortly after the distress call. It described the aircraft, which had been in service for 11 years, as having combusted mid-air before hitting a structure near the airport boundary.

Flight AI-171 was carrying 242 people - 230 passengers and 12 crew, including two pilots. Among the passengers were 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.

Investigators are continuing to comb through debris for the missing recorder and further evidence, which could shed light on the circumstances that led to one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent Indian history.