India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said in a statement it has recovered the second digital flight data recorder, or the black box, of the crashed Air India plane from a rooftop near the crash site. It said the bureau has begun its work with “full force.” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a social media post that the black box recovery marks an important step forward in the investigation.
Separately, the country’s civil aviation regulator issued an order directing Air India to perform additional maintenance and enhanced safety inspections of its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners equipped with General Electric’s GEnx engines. The key inspections, according to the order, include fuel parameters, cabin air compressor, engine control system, hydraulic system, and a review of takeoff parameters.
Investigators searched the site of one of India’s worst aviation disasters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the lone surviving passenger Friday, a day after an Air India flight fell from the sky and killed 241 people on board and several people on the ground. The first black box was found several hours earlier today.
DNA testing was being conducted to identify bodies that were mostly charred beyond recognition. More victims are expected to be found in the search at the crash site. There was no information on whether the black boxes — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — had been recovered.
The plane hit a building hosting a medical college hostel and burst into flames, killing several students, in the city that is the capital of Gujarat, Mr Modi’s home state.
Posting on social media, he said: “We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words.
"We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come.”
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