Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Cockpit Voice Recorder Found

While the investigating agencies are probing all aspects, including sabotage and terror angles, there is also a growing perception among aviation experts that the failure of the twin engines at the same time led to the crash. However, the role of systems like Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment, APU, and flap/gear configuration is also under investigation as authorities examine the black boxes to determine the cause. The only survivor of the crash and a pilot on the ground from a different plane reported hearing a loud boom during the AI 171 take-off, prompting experts to suspect a possible engine failure though several say aircraft are designed to take off safely even with an engine failure.

A team from Boeing inspected the Air India plane crash site in Ahmedabad along with some other foreign aviation experts.

Amid the trauma of losing their loved ones, the family members of the crash victims are getting restless to collect the mortal remains of their kin. With most of the bodies charred beyond recognition, the government is using DNA profiling to match the bodies with that of their kin. It usually takes 72 hours for DNA matching. Till Monday evening, the Ahmedabad civil hospital authorities said 119 victims have been identified through DNA testing and 76 bodies handed over to the victims. Out of the remaining 43, the mortal remains of 14 deceased will be handed over by Tuesday.

The mortal remains of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the plane crash, were handed over to his family members. As Mr Rupani's body was charred beyond recognition, his mortal remains were identified on Sunday after matching the DNA samples with that of his relatives. His wife Mrs Anjali Rupani and other family members were present at the city civil hospital on Monday when the mortal remains were handed over to them. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other ministers were also present. His last rites were held in his hometown Rajkot after a funeral procession and with full state honours. Union Home Minister Mr Amit Shah and Jal Shakti Minister Mr C. R. Paatil visited Mr Rupani's home to pay homage to him.

Terming the Ahmedabad accident the most "heartbreaking" crisis of his career, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman Mr N. Chandrasekaran urged Air India employees to stay on course. Addressing close to 700 employees and the leadership team across India headquarters and Air India Training Academy in Gurugram, Mr Chandrasekaran said the employees need to show resilience and use this incident as an act of force to build a "safer airline".

"We have to make sure that we stay the course. Be more determined in everything we do. We need to wait for the investigation to find out," the sources quoted Mr Chandraseakaran as saying. “I’ve seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one which I never thought I would see," Mr Chandrasekaran is learnt to have told the gathering.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday accused the Modi government of being negligent in not giving priority to aviation sector safety and said that while it awaits the investigation report on the Ahmedabad plane crash, the Centre must clarify on the "lack of action" despite a parliamentary committee report flagging concerns.

"The Modi government's negligence in not giving priority to safety in the aviation sector is worrying. It is evident from media reports that there is a huge shortage of officers and personnel in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI)," Ramesh said in a post on X in Hindi. "53% posts are vacant in DGCA; 35% posts vacant in BCAS; 17% posts vacant in AAI," said Mr Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge communications.

“Was it a maintenance failure?' CPI's D Raja questioned. "What happened in Ahmedabad was a tragic accident -- a very tragic incident involving Air India. The Dreamliner and Air India as a whole are considered the pride of the nation. How could such an accident happen? Was there a failure in aircraft maintenance, airport or runway management? The government has ordered a high-level inquiry, and that inquiry must carry out an objective investigation to find the cause -- whether it was a technical issue or a ground maintenance failure," he said.