India declines UN help in Dreamliner crash investigation

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) leads what is being described as the deadliest aviation disaster probe in a decade. They are assisted by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). Information release about the crash remains under Indian authority as per international protocols.

Indian investigators have begun examining data from two black boxes retrieved from near Ahmedabad Civil Hospital complex where the Air India aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff. This process is spearheaded by India’s AAIB with NTSB support, as announced by India's civil aviation ministry on June 26, 2025.

Commercial aircraft like this one are equipped with two black boxes: one records technical flight data while the other captures cockpit audio. These were recovered separately on June 13 and June 16, according to officials.

A team led by AAIB's Director General began extracting data from these black boxes on June 24, successfully downloading memory module data at their lab by June 25. Earlier reports indicated potential examination of these devices in the United States.

In related developments following this tragedy involving Air India Flight AI171, Indian authorities ordered termination of three employees over safety lapses.

Of all victims from this crash, all except one have been identified as per Reuters. One passenger survived among those onboard. The incident took place when flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick failed to gain altitude crashing into a residential area over a kilometer away from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport.