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Officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) arrived in Ahmedabad, where the London-bound Air India flight crashed on June 12, killing 241 people out of 242 onboard.
The AAIB, a division under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is responsible for probing aircraft accidents in India On Thursday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that a formal investigation has been launched into the crash of Air India flight AI-171. "Following the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)," Naidu posted on X. The Boeing 787-8, Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London, crashed into a resident doctors' hostel building shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Meanwhile, the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency that investigates civil aviation accidents, is preparing to send a team of investigators to India to assist in the ongoing probe into the deadly crash. In parallel, the Indian government has constituted a high-level multidisciplinary committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and recommend preventive measures. "The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future," stated an order issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. "The Committee will not be a substitute for other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations but will focus on formulating SOPs for preventing and handling such occurrences in the future," the order clarified. According to the ministry, the committee will have access to all relevant records, including flight data, cockpit voice recordings, aircraft maintenance logs, air traffic control records, and witness testimonies. The panel is expected to submit its report within three months. The committee will be chaired by the Union Home Secretary and include representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, and aviation experts. It also noted that it will formulate a comprehensive SOP and suggest the roles of all agencies and organisations of the central and state governments to deal with post-crash incident handling and management. As per the order, the Committee will consist of the Home Secretary; the secretary or joint secretary of the home affairs ministry; the secretary of Civil aviation; a representative from the Gujarat home department; a representative from the state disaster response authority; the police commissioner of Ahmedabad; the Director General (DG) of Inspection and Safety of the Indian Air Force; the DG of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security; the DG of the aviation regulator - the Directorate General of Civil Aviation; the special director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB); and the Director of the Directorate of Forensic Science Services. The order stated that the committee may also consist of any other member as deemed fit by the committee; aviation experts, accident investigators and legal advisors may also be included by the committee. (ANI)
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