AI crash initial probe report likely to be made public this week

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is likely to make public its preliminary report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, this week.

This was said to have been conveyed by AAIB officials to a high-level parliamentary panel on Wednesday. At least 260 people were killed in the crash on June 12, of which 241 were passengers and crew members. One passenger had miraculously escaped.

Sources aware of the development also said no report had been finalised so far and investigations were still underway in the incident.

The parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture of Rajya Sabha heard the views of civil aviation ministry secretary and AAIB officials on the overall review of safety in the civil aviation sector. The panel is headed by JDU MP Sanjay Jha.

AAIB officials told the panel during the day-long meeting that the black box and voice recorder of the aircraft were intact and data was being investigated, sources said. They added that the help of foreign players, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was sought to carry out detailed and thorough investigations.

The AAIB had initiated an investigation a day after the crash and constituted a multi-disciplinary team headed by its Director General GVG Yugandhar in line with globally prescribed norms.

Members cutting across party lines questioned official agencies and private airlines over safety standards being followed by them, an issue that has been brought into sharp focus after the Ahmedabad plane crash last month.

Sources said it was pointed out during the meeting that there has been an over 8 per cent drop in domestic airline traffic and less than one per cent in international traffic in India after the Ahmedabad crash.

Some members also raised the issue of “haphazard" growth around airports in the country including dense populations living around several airports due to rapid urbanisation and growth, sources informed.

It was also pointed out by some members that the Air Traffic Controllers in India are handling too much traffic, much above the international norms which could lead to human errors and result in a major disaster.

Sources informed that there was concern among some members over a large number of vacancies in aviation regulator DGCA, while a few others spoke about the agency not implementing several of the earlier recommendations of the committee.

The DGCA, the sources said, was told to fill up the posts soon, as almost half the posts were lying vacant currently.

India