New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday strongly criticised the delay in starting an official investigation into the air crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed several lives.

In a post on X, Ramesh said, 'A fortnight after the catastrophic air crash in Ahmedabad, it is being reported that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has yet to appoint a lead investigator for the probe.'

'This delay is inexplicable and inexcusable,' he added.

https://x.com/Jairam_Ramesh/status/1938091816420839453?s=08

He pointed out that even two weeks after the tragic accident, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had not appointed a lead investigator, raising serious concerns over the urgency and accountability of the government.

Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have begun the data extraction process of the Black Box and the Cockpit Voice recorder (CVR) of AI-171, which had crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 passengers.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab. The analysis of CVR and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) data is underway.

These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is the designated authority for such investigations, as India is a signatory to the ICAO Chicago Convention (1944) and investigates aircraft accidents per ICAO Annexe 13Following the unfortunate accident involving Air India Flight AI-171, the AAIB promptly initiated an investigation and constituted a multidisciplinary team on June 13, in line with prescribed norms.

Both the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) were recovered--one from a rooftop of the building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16, 2025. Standard Operating Procedures were issued for their secure handling, storage, and transportation.

The devices were kept under 24/7 police protection and CCTV surveillance in Ahmedabad. Subsequently, the black boxes were brought from Ahmedabad to Delhi by IAF aircraft with full security on June 24. The front black box arrived AAIB Lab, Delhi with the DG, AAIB on June 24.

The rear black box was brought by a second AAIB team and reached AAIB Lab, Delhi at 3:15 p.m. on June 24. On the evening of June 24, the team led by DG AAIB, with technical members from AAIB and NTSB, began the data extraction process.

The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved. On June 25, the memory module was successfully accessed and its data downloaded at the AAIB Lab. (ANI)