It will also review the current safety rules and suggest new ways to prevent such accidents in the future.
New Delhi: The Indian government has set up a high-level committee to investigate the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171.
The group has been asked to submit its report within three months. Apart from finding the root cause of the crash, the committee will also review how rescue operations were handled and how different agencies coordinated during the emergency.
The flight, which was going from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after take-off on June 12.
Out of the 242 people on board, only one person survived. The crash claimed 241 lives, making it one of the deadliest air accidents in recent years.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that the committee will study the causes behind the crash and look at what went wrong.
It will also review the current safety rules and suggest new ways to prevent such accidents in the future.
The committee will not replace other ongoing investigations by different agencies but will focus on improving policies and safety guidelines.
This high-level team will be led by the Union Home Secretary. It will include senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Intelligence Bureau, and other departments.
Experts from Gujarat government, the Ahmedabad police, disaster response authorities, and forensic science will also be part of the team.
The panel can also include more aviation experts, legal advisors, or investigators if needed.
The committee will have access to important records such as flight data, cockpit voice recordings, aircraft maintenance logs, ATC (Air Traffic Control) logs, and witness statements.
It will also visit the crash site and speak with people involved — including crew members, air traffic controllers, and rescue teams.
If the crash involves international elements, the committee will coordinate with foreign agencies and aircraft manufacturers.
It will suggest improvements in training, communication, and the roles of both central and state-level authorities during such incidents.
The aim is to make sure that India’s response to air accidents meets international standards.
The government order clearly states that the panel will also review past air accidents in the country and current guidelines for handling such emergencies.
Days after the tragic crash of the Air India flight 171, Secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha on Saturday giving details stated that after Air Traffic Control (ATC) had tried contacting the plane, it had not received any response, minutes after which the plane crashed in Medhaninagar.
“At 1:39 pm, the pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a May Day, i.e., full emergency. According to ATC, when it tried to contact the plane, it did not receive any response. Exactly after 1 minute, this plane crashed in Medhaninagar, which is located at a distance of about 2 km from the airport. The captain of the plane was Sumit Sabharwal, and the first officer was Clive Sundar,” Sinha said, addressing the media.He further stated that the plane had started losing its height after reaching a height of 650 feet.
The Secretary further added that the plane had no history of crashes and had completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad sector previously without any accident.
Meanwhile, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the recovery of the aircraft’s Black box from the debris was critical to the investigative process.
“The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which was formed specifically to look into the incidents, accidents that happen around aircraft, was immediately mobilised. 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 an in depth insight into what would have 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 are going to be once the AAIB goes through its full investigation…” Naidu said while addressing a press briefing.