Air India Plane Crash Updates: Black Box Components Of Crashed AIE Flight Recovered; Probe Underway

AAIB is probing the accident at the Kozhikode airport that has left at least 18 people dead, including the two pilots of the plane.

Officials stand on the debris of the Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing in Kozhikode. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: In order to figure out the exact cause of the tragic Air India Express plane crash which took place in Kozhikode on Friday evening, Civil Aviation Ministry's investigation agency, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has recovered digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the debris of the aircraft. AAIB is probing the accident at the Kozhikode airport that has left at least 18 people dead, including the two pilots of the plane. The Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) have been recovered at the crash site. As per reports, the recovered components that make up the black box of the aircraft, will help the investigating team figure out the exact reason as to why the Air India's Boeing 737 aircraft could not make a safe landing. As per reports, the recovered equipment will brought to Delhi for further investigation.

Reached Kozhikode to take stock of the status & implementation of relief measures after the air accident last evening.

Will hold consultations with senior civil aviation officials & professionals. pic.twitter.com/wyjFkbaJrH — Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 8, 2020

Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh on Saturday said "corrective action" will be taken after receiving the probe report on the Air India Express plane crash. The airport in Kerala, which has a tabletop runway, is operated by state-owned AAI. Singh said rescue work is over and reasons for the crash would be known once the AAIB report comes. "This report will tell us about all the issues... we are awaiting the inquiry report and then we will take corrective action," he told PTI. On whether there were any safety issues had come to the notice of the AAI in recent times, Singh replied in the negative. He noted that prior to COVID-19, there were around 70 departures as well as 70 arrivals at the Kozhikode airport on a daily basis. The Union civil aviation ministry and the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will hold an urgent meeting with Air India officials over the incident on Saturday at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. Meanwhile, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said here on Saturday that there was no need to speculate on what happened before or during the aircraft crash at Kozhikode airport in Kerala. He said all should wait for the DGCA investigation report. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured, and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries in the Friday night crash. As for any "human error" in the crash, Puri said: "Every issue will be looked into. Also, let me tell you that there are table-top airports not just in our country, but all over the world. These airports pose a problem but then landing clearances are given based on the experience of the pilots."