Multi-agency panel to probe Air India crash, submit findings in 3 months; toll rises to 270

The death toll in Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad rose to 270 on Saturday even as the Centre formed a high-level probe panel led by the Union Home Secretary. The committee, tasked with determining the cause of the London-bound flight’s disaster, will submit its findings within three months. The aircraft’s black box was currently being decoded, officials said.

The ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people on board, crashed just minutes after takeoff for London Gatwick, nosediving into the students’ hostel of BJ Medical College in Meghaninagar, about 2 km from the runway.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, in the first official briefing on the crash, revealed that the last communication from the cockpit came at 1.39 pm on June 12, a distress call of “Mayday”, after which all contact was lost with Air Traffic Control. Within a minute, the plane plummeted from 650 feet and crashed.

“The aircraft had taken off at 1.39 pm. Shortly after reaching 650 feet, it began losing altitude. The ATC tried to re-establish contact but received no response,” Sinha said. Captain Sumit Sabharwal and first officer Clive Sundar were piloting the aircraft.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) recovered the black box from the debris on Friday evening. “Decoding it is crucial to understanding what went wrong in those final moments,” he said.

To ensure a thorough investigation, the government has constituted a multi-agency committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, and comprising senior officials from the Civil Aviation, Home Ministry, DGCA, BCAS, IAF, Intelligence Bureau, forensic experts and Gujarat state authorities. The panel has been given three months to submit its findings.

Naidu also announced that the DGCA had launched extended surveillance of all Boeing 787 aircraft in the Indian fleet. “There are 34 such planes. Eight have already been inspected. We are prioritising safety and transparency,” he said.

Naidu, visibly emotional during the briefing, said, “The nation is in mourning. As someone who lost his father to an accident, I can relate to the grief of families who have lost their loved ones.”

DNA testing is underway to identify the victims. The Gujarat Government, he added, was coordinating efforts to expedite the handover of remains to the families.

While the aircraft had completed its Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad leg earlier that day without incident, questions are being raised about its mechanical integrity and response protocols. The AAIB’s technical investigation is expected to shed light on these issues.

The crash has reignited concerns over the Boeing 787 series, already under scrutiny globally, even as officials stress India’s aviation safety standards remain among the world’s most stringent.

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