NEW DELHI: Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced on Saturday that the central government is establishing a high-level committee to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, which occurred on June 12 in Gujarat. The accident resulted in the death of 241 passengers.The minister also shared a crucial update about the black box that was recovered from the crash site. Naidu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) believes that the “decoding of the black box” would provide in-depth insight into what actually happened during the process of the crash or moments before the crash itself. A black box is a flight recorder that captures crucial flight data and cockpit audio to help investigators determine the cause of an aircraft accident. It is designed to withstand extreme conditions like high-impact crashes and intense fires.“One important update from the technical investigation which is happening through the AAIB is the recovery of the black box yesterday around 5 pm from the site, the AAIB team believes that this decoding of the black box is going to give a, in depth insight into what would have actually happened during the process of the crash or moments before the crash itself. We are also eagerly waiting for what the results or the report is going to be once the AAIB goes through its full investigation,” Naidu said during the briefing, according to news agency ANI.

The minister also expressed condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones in the tragedy, saying: “The accident that happened near Ahmedabad airport shook the entire nation”.“The last two days have been, very difficult. The accident that happened near Ahmedabad airport shook the entire nation. My deepest condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones in the incident… I personally rushed to the site to oversee what needs to be done, what support needs to be provided and that was the attitude of the government of Gujarat also. The attitude was the same from GoI and the other people at the ministry also. Once we rushed to the site, we already saw the response teams from all the concerned departments were working on ground, actively trying to rescue whatever is possible, trying to cut down the fire and to move the debris so that the bodies can be sent to the hospital at the earliest,” he added. On June 12, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, tragically crashed just seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.

The aircraft, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew, lost altitude about thirty seconds into its climb and plummeted into the Civil Hospital campus at Meghani Nagar, striking a student hostel and a doctors’ quarters before bursting into flames.Among the 242 souls onboard, only one survived, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Eyewitnesses reported a frightening sequence: rapid explosions, thick plumes of black smoke, and rescue teams rushing into the blaze In the wake of the crash, authorities recovered at least one flight recorder from the wreckage, with two now in investigative hands, offering crucial data and cockpit audio. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Boeing, and other international agencies have launched a full-scale, outcome-based probe.