- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 27 Jun 2025 09:33 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Ahmedabad Plane Crash: India has denied a UN investigator to join the Air India crash investigation, which some safety experts had criticized for delays in the analysis of crucial black box data, Reuters reported based on two senior sources familiar with the matter.
The development comes days after the United Nations aviation agency took an unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to assist the ongoing Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash probe.
Previously, the International Civil Aviation Organisation has deployed investigators to help with several such probes, like the downing of a Malaysian plane in 2014 and a Ukrainian jetliner in 2020, with the only difference being that those times the agency had been asked for assistance.
ICAO had asked for the investigator who was in India to be given observer status, but Indian authorities reportedly refused the offer. On Thursday, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry said that investigators downloaded flight recorder data around two weeks after the crash.
According to the Reuters report, safety experts had questioned a lack of information about the probe, including the status of the combined black box unit, which was recovered on June 13, and a second set, which was found on June 16.
Based on an Indian aviation ministry official, who declined to be named, told Reuters that the department has been "following all the ICAO protocols." The official added that media representatives have made updates on important events.
Most air crashes are caused by multiple factors, with a preliminary report expected about 30 days after the accident. On June 12, Air India's flight crashed within a minute after taking off from the Ahmedabad Airport. 241, including crew, onboard died in the crash with only one survivor. The plane crashed into the BJ Medical College and Hospital's hostel building, causing over 30 additional casualties on the ground.
(With Reuters Inputs)