“A total of 254 bodies were identified through DNA matching, and 6 through facial recognition. All have been handed over,”
AAIB Submits Preliminary Report on Air India AI 171 Crash; 260 Confirmed Dead, One Survivor
AAIB Submits Preliminary Report on Air India AI 171 Crash Latest News: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted its preliminary report on the Air India flight AI 171 crash to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other concerned authorities, according to a report by ANI citing official sources.
The report is based on initial findings from the investigation into the tragic crash, which claimed the lives of all but one passenger on board. The sole survivor was seated in seat 11A.
Following the incident, Tata Sons, the parent company of Air India, announced a compensation of rupees 1 crore to the families of each person who lost their life in the crash.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the crash protection module (CPM) from the front black box was safely recovered. The memory module was successfully accessed, and its data was downloaded at the AAIB facility on June 25.
One black box was found on the rooftop of a building at the crash site located at BG Medical College, where the aircraft had crashed into a hostel. The second was recovered from the debris on June 16.
The investigation is being led by AAIB officials, with the support of technical members from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States—the official investigative agency of the aircraft’s design and manufacturing country.
The Director General of AAIB is heading the investigation team, which includes an aviation medicine expert and an Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer.
ANI's sources confirmed that officials from the NTSB are currently in Delhi, working closely with Indian authorities at the AAIB laboratory. Representatives from Boeing (the aircraft manufacturer) and GE (the engine manufacturer) are also assisting in the technical aspects of the investigation.
Previously, black box decoding for aircraft and helicopters was usually done abroad—in countries like the UK, USA, France, Italy, Canada, and Russia—due to a lack of proper equipment and dedicated facilities in India. However, the AAIB lab in Delhi is now fully equipped to decode both Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) domestically.
Victims Identified and Handed Over
Dr. Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital, confirmed that all 260 victims—both from the aircraft and those on the ground—have been identified and handed over to their families as of June 30.
“A total of 254 bodies were identified through DNA matching, and 6 through facial recognition. All have been handed over,” Dr. Joshi told ANI.
He further added, “Out of 241 passengers, 181 were Indians, 52 were British, 7 were Portuguese, and 1 was Canadian. Additionally, there were 19 non-passengers who died in the crash.”
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