Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Aviation Ministry Sets Up High-Level Panel To Investigate AI-171 Crash, Recommend Future Safety Guidelines; VIDEO

Mumbai: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) constituted a high level multi-disciplinary committee to investigate the Air India plane crash, which will work parallely to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The committee with high ranking bureaucrats will present its report in three months with important suggestions for dealing with similar instances in the future.

Air India’s London-bound flight AI-171 saw a tragic fate on Thursday as it crashed into a medical college’s hostel in Ahmedabad soon after take-off and killed 241 people onboard. The country’s civil aviation ministry sprung into action within hours as the AAIB started its investigation, with the crucial success of finding the black box within 28 hours of the accident.

While AAIB is decoding the flight data recorder and investigating the cause of the crash, MoCA constituted a high level committee to run a parallel investigation into the accident.

The committee, announced late evening on Friday, will ascertain the root cause and contributing factors leading to the crash as well as the existing standard operating procedures and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences.

In a detailed investigation report to be submitted within three months, it will also suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future.

The committee will be chaired by the secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) with members including MoCA secretary, MHA additional secretary, director generals of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Civil Aviation and Indian Air Force’s inspection and safety wing, special director of the Intelligence Bureau and the director of Forensic Science and Services.

The committee will also include representatives from Gujarat including the state disaster response force and the Ahmedabad police commissioner. The committee has been allowed to add any other member, including aviation experts, accident investigators and legal advisors.

One of the important objectives of the committee will be to suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations.

The ministry has mandated that the committee will have access to all records related to the aircraft and will be allowed to conduct site inspections, interview crew, air traffic controllers and other personnel while also collaborating with international agencies including Boeing.

Addressing a press conference at the Udaan Bhavan in New Delhi, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said that the committee will hold its first meeting on Monday.

“The AAIB team will look into the technical side of the investigation and will give deep insight into what could have happened moments before the crash. We are going to improve every necessary element related to safety that comes our way. We have also asked Air India to assist the families in whatever way it is required.”

He also added that the Boeing 787-8/9 Dreamliners are being inspected with immediate urgency according to DGCA’s directions. Air India on Saturday said that nine of its aircrafts have went through the safety checks and the process to check the remaining 24 will also be completed within the provided timeline.