Preliminary report on Ahmedabad plane crash submitted to Aviation Ministry

NEW DELHI: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted a five-page preliminary investigation report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding the Ahmedabad plane crash that claimed the lives of 260 people. The report serves as the initial step ahead of a detailed investigation.

The probe is aimed at determining whether the crash was caused by engine failure, adverse weather, pilot error, or technical malfunctions.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had earlier stated that every angle, including the possibility of sabotage, would be thoroughly investigated. Evidence from the crash site, as well as testimonies from airport staff and the surviving passenger, was evaluated. Simulator tests were also conducted to assess whether the crash was due to a technical issue. The cockpit environment was artificially recreated, and the aircraft and pilot movements just before the crash were reconstructed with the help of computer simulations. The findings from these analyses form the basis of the submitted report.

The black box of the ill-fated Air India Boeing Dreamliner was examined. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were sent to AAIB’s laboratory in Delhi for data analysis.

The investigation is being carried out under the supervision of the AAIB Director General. The investigation team includes an aviation medicine specialist, an air traffic control (ATC) officer, and a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Boeing Dreamliner is safe, says Air India
The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Congress MP K.C. Venugopal, recorded statements from key stakeholders related to the aviation sector yesterday.

Among those present were Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, senior officials from other airlines, representatives from Boeing, the Civil Aviation Secretary, and officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Air India maintained that the Boeing Dreamliner is one of the safest aircraft in the world, noting that over 1,000 Dreamliners are currently in service globally.