After the tragic accident of Air India flight AI-171, it was revealed that the black boxes of the aircraft are being sent to America. But now the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) has denied it and described it as wrong and misleading. The ministry has said that the black boxes have been kept for analysis in India’s state -of -the -art “Black Box Lab” and no decision has been taken to send it to a foreign laboratory.
India’s ‘Black Box Lab’ analysis
In fact, in April this year, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu inaugurated the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and Cockpit Voice Records (CVR) analysis lab in the premises of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) at Udaan Bhawan in New Delhi. This lab has been built in collaboration with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of around ₹ 9 crores.
The purpose of this lab is to repair the accident black box, extract data and accurately check the causes of the accident by adding various sources such as radar, flight performance and cockpit recording. It was developed under the membership of ICAO to suit international standards.
What did the ministry say on the news of sending America?
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement, “There has been a report in some media institutions that the black box (CVR/DFDR) of AI-171 flight is being sent abroad for investigation. We want to clarify that such a decision has not been taken. The right to decide the place of investigation is near Aaib and it will be done only after reviewing all the technical, security and privacy.”
The ministry also said that if the technology in India’s lab is found inadequate in future, then only the black box will be sent abroad. According to an official, “If the technology required for investigation is not available in our lab, we can send it abroad, but this will be the final option.”
Who involved in the investigation of the accident?
Let us know that the investigation of the AI-171 accident started on 12 June 2025, including the Aaib team as well as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the US and the experts of the aircraft manufacturing companies (OEM). This entire process is being done under the International Investigation Protocol set by ICAO. The AI-171 aircraft, which was Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had two set black box systems, each included DFDR and CVR. The first set was on 13 June and the second was evacuated from the rubble on 16 June.
These black boxes will find out why the aircraft crashed only a few seconds after the takeoff. DFDR will get data such as flying speed, height and engine thrust, while pilots’ interaction and alert recording will be heard from CVR.
As per the rules of ICAO, an initial report on this accident will be released within 30 days and the final detailed report within a year. Investigations will take into consideration points such as the pilot’s potential mistake, technical fault, meteorological conditions and pre-flight checks.