Following the devastating Air India crash near Ahmedabad airport, investigators have found the plane’s black box — a crucial development in identifying the reason for the tragedy that killed 265 people. The doomed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was headed to London, had 242 passengers and crew on board when it crashed after takeoff.
The recovery of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder is likely to provide vital clues to the last moments of the aircraft. Preliminary eyewitness accounts had spoken of a huge fireball and wreckage spilling across a broad distance, with survivors also recalling odd engine sounds just before impact. The authorities have assured a full and open investigation, with international aviation experts joining the investigation process.
This fatal crash is one of the most lethal air accidents in recent Indian history and has evoked an outpouring of mourning across the country. Emergency responders labored overnight to retrieve remains and treat survivors, while hospitals still treat survivors wounded in the inferno. The process of identification continues, and counseling centers have been established for relatives of the victims.
Air India and air regulators are now under close scrutiny regarding the maintenance history of the aircraft and checks on safety. As international focus shifts to the revelations from the black box, hopes are high that answers will come — not just to identify what went wrong but to ensure that tragedies like these never occur again.
