NEW DELHI: Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Tuesday submitted its preliminary report on the AI171 plane crash to the ministry of civil aviation and the concerned authorities. The report filed is based on the initial findings of the probe, reported news agency ANI citing top sources.Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is scheduled for today, with top officials from the civil aviation ministry, including the civil aviation secretary and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), expected to appear. The recent Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad is also likely to come up during the meeting, along with broader concerns over aviation safety.Sources confirmed ANI that the civil aviation Secretary and representatives from the DGCA have been summoned. However, the meeting’s primary focus will be on how passenger fees, airline charges, and other tariffs are determined and regulated for public infrastructure and airport services, in addition to ongoing safety concerns in the aviation sector.On June 12, a London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft collided with a hostel complex at BJ Medical College, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Among the victims was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.Since the crash, the ministry of civil aviation has been assisting the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is conducting a full-scale investigation. The AAIB, operating from its lab in New Delhi and equipped with advanced technology, is leading the probe.According to the ministry, the Crash Protection Module from one of the plane’s black boxes was retrieved and accessed by June 25, and data from it has been successfully downloaded. A source told ANI, an identical black box, referred to as a “golden chassis”, was used to confirm whether the data could be accurately retrieved from the original black boxes.The investigation team comprises experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the U.S.-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Additionally, officials from Boeing, GE, aviation medicine specialists, and Air Traffic Control experts are involved. The inquiry is being conducted under international norms as laid out in ICAO Annex 13 and India’s Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017.
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