'Black box data to be decoded soon'; Union Civil Aviation Min responds to Ahmedabad plane crash

NEW DELHI: The "black box" of the Air India flight that crashed near Ahmedabad airport was recovered on Saturday. The cause of the accident will be clear once its data is decoded, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said.

The AAIB is leading the investigation with the help of British authorities. The DGCA has ordered widespread monitoring of Boeing 787 series aircraft. Nine aircraft have already been inspected. The minister ensured that the inspection would be completed at a fast pace. Civil Aviation Secretary Sameer Kumar Sinha told a press conference that the information about the crash of the Ahmedabad-to-London flight was received at 2 pm on June 12.

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which took off from Ahmedabad Airport at 1:39 p.m. on June 12, crashed into a hostel building in Meghaninagar, two kilometres away. The flight descended from a height of 650 feet. The pilot had transmitted a "Mayday" message before losing contact with ATC. After the accident, the runway at the airport was closed from 2.30 pm to 5.00 pm. The Union Civil Aviation Minister said that the runway was opened after completing the protocols. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and officials from Gujarat are monitoring the situation.